President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated on Monday, Jan. 20. While campaigning, Trump promised he would be tough on immigration, so local school districts and families worry that internal immigration policy could change with this returning administration.
News Director Kelsey Brunner sat down with Reporter Halle Zander to discuss how schools in our region are preparing.
Kelsey Brunner: For years, schools have been deemed “sensitive locations,” and federal immigration officials have historically refrained from conducting immigration enforcement there.
But that could change when Trump takes office again. Can you tell us what exactly schools in our region are doing in order to protect their students from immigration raids?
Halle Zander: Yes, but I want to start off by explaining that some school districts are worried about putting a target on their backs and risking the safety of their students by talking to the press.
President-elect Trump has threatened sanctuary cities like Chicago and San Francisco, saying he would withhold federal funding unless they followed his immigration policies.
So school districts are worried that drawing too much attention to their protocols could put their community at risk. So, I’m going to discuss the general policies for the region, rather than naming names.
It is public information that the Roaring Fork School District has a safe haven policy, which states they will not cooperate with federal immigration authorities unless they have a valid court order to apprehend someone or collect information.
Other school districts in the region don’t have public policies stating what they would do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, showed up at their doorstep. But they’re all beholden to the same state laws and procedures that protect student privacy.
Brunner: On that note, even with a safe haven policy like Roaring Fork’s, what rights do school districts have to keep information a secret from ICE or other immigration authorities?
Zander: One of the biggest ways schools can protect student information is not collecting it at all.
Schools collect basic information from students, like their names and addresses, to establish residency in a district, but the U.S. Department of Justice says schools “may not ask about your or your child’s citizenship or immigration status” to do so.
If they don’t track it, there’s nothing to turn over.
This comes after the Supreme Court established in 1982 that all children have a right to education, regardless of their immigration status, because otherwise they would have no hope of contributing to society.
But school districts know that if they receive a valid court order to remove students, staff, or other members of the school community from the grounds, they would have to abide by it, unless their legal counsel advises them otherwise.
Brunner: Let’s consider that situation.
ICE reverses its internal policy, which previously directed officers not to conduct deportations at schools, churches, and other sensitive locations.
They arrive on campus intending to apprehend someone on suspicion that they’re in the U.S. illegally.
What happens next?
Zander: Well some school districts would have their principal meet ICE officials, ask for any warrants the officers have, and then call their legal counsel for direction, keeping those officers outside school grounds while they do so.
Others aren’t as particular about how exactly the process would go, but they often have law enforcement come to campus wanting to interview students about an alleged crime. In those cases, the officers have to wait, present any necessary paperwork, and parents have to be contacted, so kind of a similar process.
Brunner: How are families reacting to this potential risk? What are they telling their school district staff?
Zander: You know, you said it right there: the "potential risk." Families are really in limbo and aren’t sure what’s going to happen next.
So some school districts are holding Know Your Rights trainings, telling parents and students that they can ask officers, “Am I free to go?” and “Did I do something wrong?”
They are told they have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
What I’ve heard about their anticipatory anxiety is that families and schools just don’t know what they don’t know, so having these conversations ahead of time is helping give people some peace of mind, reminding them that they have some constitutional rights.
But a big concern for some school districts isn’t even that ICE officials will be raiding their campuses.
They think it’ll be more likely that parents of students at their schools might get deported, and their kids can’t go home after school is over.
So they’re asking families to make sure their emergency contacts are up to date and that they have a plan in place for their kids in case the worst happens.
Brunner: Are schools expecting a dip in attendance over fear that their buildings might not be protected locations for undocumented students and families in the future?
Zander: There is some concern that attendance could drop, especially since many school districts in Colorado still haven’t bounced back to pre-pandemic enrollment, but a lot of these districts already have plans in place and work with families one-on-one when there are attendance issues.
So, yes, those staff members may be busier, but this is an issue they’re already well-practiced in dealing with.
Brunner: Halle, thanks for your reporting.
Zander: Thanks for having me.
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