Schools around the country are preparing for upheaval from President-elect Donald Trump's plans to deport millions of people living in this country illegally. It remains to be seen whether Trump will follow through on the pledge, but some superintendents say the threats could deter immigrants from sending their kids to school either way.
Educators are training staff on how to act in the event of raids and assuring families their kids are safe on campus.
For more than a decade, schools have been largely off-limits for immigration enforcement. In 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement adopted a policy urging agents to avoid arresting immigrants near schools, hospitals, and churches so as not to discourage them from attending to essential parts of life.
The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 has recommended that the next Trump administration rescind the so-called "sensitive locations" policy. Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 during his campaign, but has chosen people who worked on the policy roadmap for his next government, including Tom Homan as "border czar."
In case schools become a target for arrests of parents or students, some districts are training staff, especially those who control access to the front doors at schools, to block immigration agents from entering without a valid warrant. They are also training school clerks and others to not share student information with agents.
School officials say children can't learn if they're afraid they or their parents will be detained on campus. They also say these practices safeguard immigrant students' right to a free public education.
But not all school districts are eager to speak publicly about these efforts. The Associated Press found some superintendents didn't want to comment on their plans because they fear drawing attention to their immigrant students. Others don't feel support from school boards to take these actions.
Here are some ideas for covering this issue in your area.
Schools are bracing for upheaval over fear of mass deportations
AVAILABLE DATA
The children most likely to be affected by deportation are U.S. citizens. About 4.4 million U.S.-born children live in the United States with parents who are in the country illegally, according to Pew Research analysis of 2022 Census data. Pew estimated that around 800,000 immigrants under 18 were in the country illegally.
The states with the largest numbers of immigrants living there illegally are California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois.
The numbers of total immigrants who are in the country illegally and therefore vulnerable to Trump's deportation plans could grow under Trump's administration if he follows through on plans to eliminate an immigration benefit held by more than 800,000 people as of late last year.
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, has been around for decades and extended to foreign nationals leaving troubled countries. Most recently, immigrants coming from Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba have received TPS, but some immigrants have lived in the country with this status for decades. Trump has said he would rescind this policy for at least some immigrants.
Data resources:
— Migration Policy Institute's County and State Dataset: Unauthorized Immigrant Population Profiles
— Migration Policy Institute's 2023 Factsheet: A Profile of Recent Immigrant Students: A Profile of New Arrivals to U.S. Schools
— U.S. Customs and Immigration Services 2023 Report on TPS: Temporary Protected Status: Calendar Year 2023 Annual Report
WATCH HOW DISTRICTS RESPOND
Some school boards during Trump's first term passed resolutions affirming immigrant students' right to attend school and vowing to stop immigration agents from entering schools. Reporters can observe whether school districts take such public stances under what Trump promises will be a more aggressive immigration crackdown, and whether they seek to train staff on response strategies. They can take note of districts that are reluctant to talk about plans or concerns.
Reporters should also look for enrollment and attendance declines or changes related to deportation threats and actions.
The deportations may embolden some districts that are already making it more difficult for immigrant students to enroll in school. Conservative lawmakers in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee have questioned whether immigrants without legal residency should have the right to a public education. That could bring challenges to the landmark 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Plyler v. Doe, when justices concluded it was unconstitutional to deny children an education based on their immigration status.
QUESTIONS TO ASK IN YOUR COMMUNITY
— How is the superintendent preparing for potential mass deportations? What are teachers and staff being told they should do if a raid occurs at their school?
— How have school board members described their district's role in protecting immigrant students' right to an education?
— Is there agreement among the district superintendent, the school board and other officials?
— Have students stopped attending school because they fear deportation? What impact does the threat of deportations have on parents' and students' outlook on school?
— Has the district created barriers for newcomer students to enroll? Who promoted these barriers and how have educators and community advocates responded?
— US law entitles immigrant children to an education. Some conservatives say that should change
— On the streets of a Colorado city, pregnant migrants struggle to survive
— For migrant women who land in Colorado looking for jobs, a common answer emerges: No