A majority of parents are somewhat or very concerned that heightened immigration operations, like those carried out in Minnesota in recent months, could disrupt their children’s education.
That’s one of the key findings from the latest national poll of K-12 parents from the National Parents Union, a nonprofit parent advocacy organization that seeks to raise the influence of parents’ voices in K-12 decisionmaking.
The latest poll, which surveyed more than 1,500 individuals, also found that most parents strongly oppose immigration enforcement activity at or near schools.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has launched multiple large-scale immigration enforcement operations in U.S. cities since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. These actions, coupled with the Trump administration’s move last January to revoke a policy that limited immigration enforcement at schools, have left educators across the country grappling with growing fear and anxiety among students.
“DHS can enforce the law without turning our school zones into fear zones, and that is really what’s happening right now,” said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, which is calling on Congress to pass legislation that would protect schools from immigration agents.
In a statement, Homeland Security Department spokesperson said, “[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is not going to schools to arrest children,” adding that if someone agents are pursuing fled into a school or a school employee is a child sex offender, “there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect public safety.”
Poll found parents concerned about ICE tactics
The latest NPU poll, conducted Feb. 12-18, found 59% of Republican-leaning parents, 78% of independents, and 90% of Democratic-leaning parents were somewhat or very concerned that immigration enforcement could disrupt their children’s education. (The National Parents Union contracted with Echelon Insights for the poll).
Seventy percent of parents overall said they oppose ICE being able to detain undocumented immigrant parents when they are dropping off or picking up their children at school, and the same percentage oppose ICE being able to detain undocumented immigrant parents and students at school bus stops.
When broken down by political party affiliation, 48% of Republican-leaning parents said they oppose ICE activity at dropoff and pickup, and 50% oppose ICE activity at school bus stops. Those numbers are 77% and 76% respectively for independents and 89% in both cases for Democratic-leaning parents.
About 72% of parents oppose ICE being able to conduct operations in school zones, and 78% oppose ICE being able to stop minors on their way to or from school and detain them if they are not carrying proof of their citizenship or legal status.
Fifty-one percent of Republican-leaning parents, 79% of independents, and 89% of Democratic-leaning parents oppose ICE operations in school zones.
The poll found greater bipartisan opposition to ICE stopping and possibly detaining minors on their way to or from schools, with 64% of Republican-leaning parents, 83% of independents, and 91% of Democratic-leaning parents opposed.
Educators and advocacy groups across the country have reported all of these tactics being used by ICE since last year, though federal immigration agents have not entered a public K-12 school building to carry out an enforcement action.
Schools are suing over ICE activity near schools
Following weeks of learning disruptions caused by federal immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota, two local school districts and the state’s teachers’ union filed a lawsuit in early February seeking to stop enforcement activity at or near schools.
On Feb. 23, the plaintiffs filed an emergency motion to stop such activity that has hurt attendance, drained school resources, such as having educators monitor the presence of nearby agents, and traumatized children, according to a press release.
The lawsuit described multiple instances of federal immigration agents detaining adults and children in school parking lots and at school bus stops, as well as the various ways educators have had to adapt to temporary remote learning and enhanced security measures at schools.
Last November, U.S. House Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon requesting information on how the Education Department plans to support states and schools in addressing the widespread effects of immigration enforcement on schools, including an increased need for mental health counseling. They reiterated their request in a similar letter on Feb. 17.
The National Academy of Education, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, on Feb. 17 asking them to “enact practices to ensure that all students feel safe and secure attending school and all parents and guardians feel safe bringing their children to and from school.”
Some states have also passed legislation that would require schools to establish protocols for what to do when immigration agents arrive on campus.
“It’s not about politics. It’s about whether we are providing our children with a safe environment that allows them to even get to the classroom,” said Rodrigues with NPU.
“If DHS continues to allow ICE anywhere near dropoff, pickup, bus stops, school zones, or playgrounds, it sends a very clear message to families that school is not safe.”
