Immigrants

Education news, analysis, and opinion about immigrants, immigrants’ children and immigration

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Image of a boy with a blue backpack standing in front of the entrance to school.
Which States Are Challenging Undocumented Students’ Right to Free Education?
States are reviving efforts to challenge the 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling that guarantees undocumented students a free, public education.
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NEAConvention 7.6.2026 MarkMakela1
NEA staff and members are pictured on on stage during the union's Representative Assembly in Denver on July 6, 2026. Delegates have approved several new items related to AI and immigration.
Mark Makela for Education Week
Teaching Profession Teachers' Union Approves New Fund to Help Immigrant Teachers
It's aimed at teachers who came to the country before 2007 under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 6, 2026
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4 min read
A look at the 2025 NEA Annual Meeting & Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore.
Thousands of educators turn out each year for the National Education Association's Representative Assembly; last year's, shown here in this July 3, 2025 photo, took place in Portland, Ore.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Nation’s Largest Teachers’ Union Will Elect New Leader at Annual Confab
A primer to this year's nearly 7,000-delegate National Education Association Representative Assembly.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 1, 2026
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5 min read
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A staff member from a district school carts away food and household items to donate to student families in St. Paul, Minn., February 23, 2026. Across the Twin cities, teachers and school administrators adapted to support families affected by heightened immigration enforcement.
Tim Evans for Education Week
Families & the Community As ICE Activity Rises, Schools Focus on Family Support
Since 2025, school districts have quickly adapted to shifting effects from federal immigration enforcement.
Ileana Najarro, June 22, 2026
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7 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
English Learners Opinion Immigrant Student Enrollment Is Falling. How Should Schools Respond?
Enrollment patterns may change, but schools still need to take care of their English learners.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 3, 2026
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6 min read
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Hutto High School students protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Hutto, Texas. New national survey data found that immigration enforcement continues to affect schools.
Jay Janner/STATESMAN.COM via AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Schools Saw Rising Student Anxiety From Immigration Enforcement in 2025-26
New national survey data from this spring found increased absences due to immigration enforcement.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, June 2, 2026
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7 min read
The Tennessee Capitol is seen on April 23, 2024, in Nashville.
The Tennessee Capitol is seen on April 23, 2024, in Nashville. Twice since 2025, lawmakers in the state have failed to pass legislation limiting undocumented students' access to free, public education.
George Walker IV/AP
States How One State's Efforts to Limit Undocumented Students’ Rights Failed Again
Tennessee lawmakers failed to create legislation directly challenging federal law.
Ileana Najarro, May 22, 2026
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3 min read
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), are seen monitoring a football game between Bell Multicultural and Archbishop Carroll on Sept. 12, 2025, at Cardozo High School in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations monitor a high school football game Sept. 12, 2025, at Cardozo High School in Washington. Heightened immigration enforcement activity has raised concerns about its impact on students’ attendance and well-being.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Student Absenteeism Immigrant Students Fear Enforcement and Stay Out of School
An April working paper found that immigration enforcement increased absence rates.
Ileana Najarro, May 20, 2026
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4 min read
Democratic Senator Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people gather to protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. The bill would allow public school systems in Tennessee to require K-12 students without legal status in the country to pay tuition or face denial of enrollment, which is a challenge to the federal law requiring all children be provided a free public education regardless of legal immigration status.
Democratic state Sen. Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol on April 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The legislation is part of a broader push in Tennessee to require schools to collect students’ immigration status, raising concerns among educators about trust, access, and compliance with federal law.
John Amis/AP
States 'Not Our Job': Principals Decry a Proposal to Track Student Immigration Status
A principals group has publicly opposed efforts to require schools to track immigration status.
Ileana Najarro, April 17, 2026
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5 min read
Federal policy moves carry implications for ELs, immigrant students
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
English Learners How Federal Changes Affect English Learners, Immigrant Students
Since January 2025, several federal policy changes carry implications for ELs and immigrant students.
Ileana Najarro, April 16, 2026
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2 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025. The order, now before the U.S. Supreme Court, seeks to limit citizenship for some children born in the United States to immigrant parents without permanent legal status.
Evan Vucci/AP
Law & Courts Birthright Citizenship Case Raises Stakes for Schools and Undocumented Students
Educators are paying close attention to the case on Trump's birthright citizenship order.
Mark Walsh, March 30, 2026
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10 min read
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee lawmakers are debating amended legislation, originally introduced last year, to collect students' immigration information.
George Walker IV/AP
States A State Gets Closer to Challenging Undocumented Students' Free Access to School
Lawmakers are debating legislation that would require schools to collect immigration information.
Ileana Najarro, March 27, 2026
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4 min read
A woman embraces her child outside a House hearing room during protests against a bill that would allow public and charter schools to deny immigrant students from enrolling for classes in Nashville, Tenn., March 11, 2025.
A woman embraces her child outside a hearing room at the Tennessee State Capitol during protests against a bill that would have allowed public and charter schools to deny immigrant students from enrolling in school, in Nashville, Tenn., on March 11, 2025. Lawmakers are expected to vote on an amended version of the bill that would require schools to collect students' immigration status information.
George Walker IV/AP
Federal Q&A Why the Heritage Foundation Is Targeting Plyler v. Doe
Lora Ries explains how the Supreme Court could overturn the 1982 Plyler v. Doe decision.
Ileana Najarro, March 26, 2026
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4 min read
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during his swearing-in in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during his swearing-in on March 24, 2026, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Opinion What Our Students Deserve From New Homeland Security Secretary Mullin
The National Academy of Education calls for policy changes to ensure safer learning environments.
National Academy of Education Board of Directors, March 25, 2026
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5 min read
Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025. While educators feel relieved that federal dollars for supplemental English-learner resources will continue in the next fiscal year, they remain uncertain for the years to come.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
Education Funding Educators Warn Flat English Learner Funding Falls Short of Growing Demand
Educators remain uncertain about the future of federal funds for English learners.
Ileana Najarro, February 26, 2026
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3 min read