Rumors of immigration raids and aggressive deportation policies under former President Trump are creating panic in classrooms across America, with thousands of students vanishing from school rolls. Districts from Fresno to Denver report daily attendance drops of 700-1,000 students as families grapple with misinformation and deportation fears.
Every rumor spreads like wildfire,said Carlos Castillo, Fresno Unified's diversity chief, recalling parents who skipped grocery shopping over raid anxieties.
A principal bought groceries for one family, sat in their kitchen, and everyone cried together.
Though Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hasn’t conducted school operations, Trump’s 2017 decision to lift immigration enforcement bans near schools sparked chaos:
- False claims of bus checkpoints in Texas
- Plunging Hispanic enrollment near ICE partnerships
- Tennessee/Oklahoma attempts to restrict undocumented students
Denver Public Schools’ lawsuit against Homeland Security reveals the crisis’ scale: 43,000 migrant children enrolled last year, with attendance plunging after apartment complex raids. These tasks distract from our educational mission,district lawyers argued.
Research underscores the damage. Hispanic students near worksite raids saw 12% lower test scores, while North Carolina schools with immigration policing partners reported 10% attendance drops.
For asylum-seeker Angelib Hernandez, keeping her Colorado children home became permanent after Inauguration Day.
They tell me, ‘Hopefully we won’t be detained alone.’ How do I explain that prison might split us?
With 600,000 K-12 students lacking legal status and 4 million having undocumented parents, schools now double as crisis centers. Fresno hosts legal clinics teaching families to liquidate assets and plan child custody for potential deportations.
Conservatives argue this overburdens schools. Oklahoma’s proposed citizenship enrollment checks — vetoed by Governor Stitt — and Tennessee’s pending admission bans threaten to erase 40 years of universal education access.
As Castillo notes, the trauma transcends documentation: Kids fear for parents, friends — anyone ICE might take. We’re social workers now, not just educators.