Schools are no longer a guaranteed safe space for immigrant families after President Trump ended the order that made schools off-limits to federal immigration authorities. In response to this change, Education Justice Alliance’s (EJA) Co-Executive Directors Letha Muhammad and Jenice Ramirez-Garvin issued this statement:
“The anxiety and fear that has hovered over our immigrant communities since the results of the 2024 election have become reality. President Trump is working to make good on his promises to terrorize and target our immigrant communities. His decision to roll back protections for migrants at schools is proof that hate and division sit at the core of his administration.
As a result, our neighbors, families, friends, and peers are facing potentially life-changing choices. Do I send my child to school? Will my child be targeted at the bus stop? Will discrimination turn into deportation? These questions are daunting and the fear is valid.
The Department of Homeland Security says President Trump’s executive order will allow officers to use so-called, “common sense” in making arrests. But what this change really means is obvious prejudice and bigotry will be tolerated as reasoning to dump our children into the school-to-deportation pipeline. Furthermore, when this change is combined with the vagueness of North Carolina’s law regarding what is considered disorderly conduct in schools, it makes it even easier to criminalize all students of color, including those with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions.
In the coming days and months, the faces of our communities will start to dwindle. We will see fewer children in classrooms and less families participating in school functions as more people are either forced into hiding or ripped from their families and homes.
It is established by court case Plyler v. Doe that, “all children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a public elementary and secondary education, regardless of their immigration status or citizenship.” This means anyone working in the school system should do all they can to push back against federal immigration authorities. This means demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) provide written proof of authority to enter school grounds, protecting the private information of all students and their families, and removing all officers and security guards from schools.
EJA is committed to supporting all parents and students’ right to access a quality and equitable public school system. We will do what it takes to provide access to resources and support to our immigrant families and community.
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Media Inquiries
Jasimine Murray
Education Justice Alliance’s (EJA) mission is to dismantle the school-to-prison and school-to-deportation pipelines, eliminate the criminalization of Black, Brown, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities and secure educational equity for all students in the public school system.
