Immigrants

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

Tracker

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.
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025.
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025. Teachers in Chicago and elsewhere have expressed heightened anxiety from immigrant students as immigration enforcement efforts expand.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Student Fear and Absences Surge as Immigration Enforcement Expands
While schools report widespread effects from immigration enforcement, not all are taking action.
Ileana Najarro, November 25, 2025
5 min read
Demonstrators picket in solidarity against ICE outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2025.
Demonstrators picket against ICE outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2025. Educators who work with immigrant families across the country are reporting increased anxiety and absences among students amid heightened immigration enforcement.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center The Widespread Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Schools, in Charts
Educators working with immigrant families report student anxiety and absences in a new national survey.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, November 24, 2025
6 min read
Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at FHP Troop D Headquarters on International Drive in Orlando on Aug. 1, 2025. During the press conference, DeSantis addressed law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol's efforts and responsibility to apprehend illegal immigrants in the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at FHP Troop D Headquarters in Orlando on Aug. 1, 2025, where he discussed law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol’s role in apprehending undocumented immigrants in the state. A new study links increased immigration enforcement in Florida to declines in student test scores.
Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel via TNS
Student Achievement When ICE Arrests Rise, Student Test Scores Fall, New Study Suggests
The working paper focused on a Florida district where both foreign-born and U.S. born students saw test scores drop.
Ileana Najarro, November 13, 2025
4 min read
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. A lawsuit filed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita accuses the Indianapolis schools of restricting ICE's access to school grounds.
Erin Hooley/AP
School & District Management School District Sued Over ‘Thwarting’ ICE Says Indiana AG’s Lawsuit Is ‘Silly’
The lawsuit says Indianapolis Public Schools blocked ICE from school grounds without a warrant or emergency.
Julia Marnin, The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.), November 11, 2025
4 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
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'Am I Doing Enough?': Chicago Teachers Share Their Heartache Over ICE Raids
Teachers in Latino areas describe the trauma and economic disruption federal raids are causing.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 7, 2025
8 min read
People rally outside LAUSD headquarters in support of 18-year-old high school senior Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 19, 2025. The rally was planned after Guerrero-Cruz was taken into custody by federal immigration officials in early August.
People rally outside Los Angeles Unified school district headquarters in support of 18-year-old high school senior Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, in Los Angeles, on Aug. 19, 2025. The rally was planned after Guerrero-Cruz was taken into custody by federal immigration officials in early August. Whether educators choose to advocate in such situations depends on multiple factors, survey data found.
Raquel G. Frohlich/Sipa via AP
School & District Management ‘Would You Protect Me?' Educators Weigh What to Do If ICE Detained a Student
Educators say they favor a district response to immigration enforcement over individual action.
Ileana Najarro, October 31, 2025
5 min read
Eric Marquez, a Global History teacher at ELLIS Preparatory Academy, holds a sign dedicated to his student, Dylan Lopez Contreras, who was detained by ICE agents on May 21, 2025, in New York City, as he poses for a portrait at Ewen Park in Marble Hill, New York, on Sept. 18, 2025.
Eric Marquez, a global history teacher at ELLIS Preparatory Academy in New York City, holds a sign dedicated to his student, Dylan Lopez Contreras, who was detained by ICE agents on May 21, 2025, as he poses for a portrait in Marble Hill, N.Y., on Sept. 18, 2025. An analysis of an EdWeek Research Center survey reveals when and why educators would advocate for students detained by ICE.
Mostafa Bassim for Education Week
School & District Management Would Educators Advocate for a Student Who Was Detained by ICE? See New Data
Many educators said their school or district should advocate for a student's release, a survey found.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, October 31, 2025
3 min read
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025.
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025. She spoke with Education Week about the fears she is grappling with regarding immigration raids and federal agents' increased presence near her school.
Jim Vondruska for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Q&A Inside the Fear at Chicago Schools Amid Federal Immigration Raids
Sylvelia Pittman has never experienced something like the current federal crackdown in her city.
Ileana Najarro, October 31, 2025
5 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
Families & the Community Opinion 'Constant Anxiety': What a Chicago Teacher Witnesses as ICE Swarms
What federal immigration agents are doing in Chicago doesn't look like democracy, an educator says.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 20, 2025
4 min read
Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts visits the McKee Education Center on the first day of school, Sept. 4, 2025.
Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts visits the McKee Education Center on the first day of school, Sept. 4, 2025. Roberts resigned from his position as superintendent on Sept. 30 after immigration officers arrested him on Sept. 26.
Courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools
School & District Management Iowa Superintendent Ian Roberts Arrested by ICE: What We Know So Far
Ian Roberts resigned as superintendent of the Des Moines district on Sept. 30, after he was arrested by ICE.
Ileana Najarro, September 30, 2025
7 min read
Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts visits with preschoolers at the Taylor Education Center on Sept. 23, 2025, in Des Moines.
Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts visits with preschoolers at the Taylor Education Center on Sept. 23, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. He is currently being held by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools
School & District Management ICE Detains Superintendent of Iowa’s Largest School District
Immigration officers detained the Des Moines, Iowa public schools superintendent, officials said.
3 min read
Eric Marquez, a global history teacher at ELLIS Preparatory Academy, stands for a portrait at Ewen Park in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City on Sept. 18, 2025.
Eric Marquez, a global history teacher at ELLIS Preparatory Academy, stands for a portrait at Ewen Park in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City on Sept. 18, 2025. Immigration officers detained one of his students at a routine court hearing in May.
Mostafa Bassim for Education Week
English Learners Q&A 'Still Connected': How This School Supports a Student in Immigration Detention
Immigration officers detained New York City student Dylan Lopez Contreras in May.
Ileana Najarro, September 22, 2025
4 min read
A sign on a post in Los Angeles reads ''CAUTION ICE'' on Sept. 8, 2025. Immigration enforcement has drawn closer to schools in Los Angeles and beyond.
A sign on a post in Los Angeles reads ''CAUTION ICE'' on Sept. 8, 2025. Immigration enforcement has drawn closer to schools in Los Angeles and beyond.
J.W. Hendricks/NurPhoto via AP
School & District Management Schools Brace as Fears of Immigration Enforcement Rise Among Families
Educators and advocates report immigration arrests inching closer to schools.
Ileana Najarro, September 9, 2025
5 min read
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks with two crossing guards on Aug. 27, 2025, in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks with two crossing guards on Aug. 27, 2025, in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. On Aug. 15, 2025, he signed into law a bill that protects all students' right to a free, public education regardless of immigration status.
Erin Hooley/AP
States How This State Is Protecting Undocumented Students’ Right to an Education
Illinois lawmakers passed a bill locally codifying the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe.
Ileana Najarro, August 28, 2025
4 min read