Potential ICE raids in schools could affect attendance rates

Following through with plans to increase immigration enforcement within the first week of being sworn into office, the Trump Administration rescinded multiple policies, including one that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from entering “sensitive” locations such as schools, hospitals or places of worship. 

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement earlier in the week that it has rescinded the guidelines introduced during the Biden Administration that prevented ICE and CBP from conducting any activities, such as arrests, interviews, searches or surveillance, for the purposes of immigration enforcement only. 

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” a DHS Spokesperson stated.

With reports of multiple reports of ICE conducting raids across various cities, over 500 arrests have already been made as of Friday, January 24, according to ICE’s official X account.

With safeguards stripped from protecting schools, several parents began to ask questions and already plan not to send their kids to schools, Ofelia “Sofi” Ryan, president of the Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors, told CALÓ News.

“We feel sad and outraged, but this is just energizing us to put all our effort in empowering, educating the community and supporting the families [that are affected],” said Ryan.

Ryan has been employed with the LAUSD as a child welfare and attendance counselor for 25 years. She still remembers firsthand the impact on education during the first Trump Administration.

ICE vehicles would be seen in areas near the school and students would warn others about any possible activity, affecting the school’s attendance rate the next few days, Ryan continued, “I had seen kids who were left because their parents couldn't pick them up, [because] they had been deported.”

Feeling a sense of duty as a counselor, Ryan wants to ensure that schools are welcoming and respected environments. She does this by assuring families by working together with them, the schools and teachers, educating communities, keeping up-to-date with critical information and providing resources.

One of the resources Ryan spoke to CALÓ News about was LAUSD’s iATTEND program, which aims to improve attendance and provide schools with a multi-tiered system of support to help overcome challenges that prevent student attendance.

Some of the printed resources in the iATTEND program, offered in both English and Spanish, include:

• A Guide for Parents

• Parent Attendance Tracker

• Absence Tracker for Parents

• How to Safely Send Your Students to School

• Why is School Attendance Important

In California, school district funding is determined based on the number of students who attend school, often known as Average Daily Attendance (ADA).  

“Under ADA, districts with higher attendance rates receive more funding while those districts that have lower attendance rates (for whatever reasons), stand to lose funding,” stated in a report from California State PTA. 

Reduced funding for school districts with absent students could make it more difficult for districts to seek out those same absent students.

California is one of seven states that use ADA to determine funding in various school districts, possibly leading to possible consequences of lower funds because of the removal of these safeguards that protected schools.

“These types of raids also impact our funding, because when a large number of kids don't show up to school, the school doesn't get ADA, and the needs remain the same but with less funding,” said Ryan.

In the U.S., there are more than 16.7 million people who live with at least one family member who is undocumented, usually the parent, according to a 2021 report from the American Immigration Council (AIC). 

Approximately, six million of those people are under the age of 18; an increase of immigration enforcement activity can significantly affect the physical, emotional and development of millions of children across the U.S.

“Communities with local law enforcement agencies that choose to partner with ICE by entering into 287(g) agreements experience a large displacement of Hispanic students as families choose to leave or avoid moving into those communities,” according to the report.

Without these safeguards, large-scale ICE raids could impact school attendance for students with loved ones who were affected. Several studies within the AIC report have shown that these raids impact students’ education. These include surveys from educators expressing concerns about a decline in academic performance, student absences and less involvement from the parents.

LAUSD affirms that it will remain an inclusive, safe and welcoming school district for all students, staff and families, along with the California Attorney General’s Office, which released a quick reference for school officials on the recent executive orders from President Trump on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in schools.

The quick reference also provides a list of rights for school leaders, students and their families.