Schools plan to protect undocumented students from Trump administration

School districts, universities and state education leaders across the country are preparing their schools for the new Trump administration, including efforts to protect undocumented immigrants.

Many school districts are focusing on strengthening protections for migrant students and families. They include mandatory training for teachers on what to do if immigration officials arrive at their schools, as well as new rules that prevent them from showing up in the first place. Other districts are preparing measures to guarantee funding in case President-elect Trump cuts it.

“We will not allow any law enforcement agency to take any species immigration action against our students or their families under our control,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Monday at a press conference.

According to local reports, Carvalho has pledged to use all available legal options to protect undocumented immigrants who attend school in the district.

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Shortly after Trump’s election victory in November, the district’s governing board passed a resolution barring district officials from voluntarily complying with requests from immigration authorities, including sharing information about a student’s immigration status. Part of the resolution includes training teachers on how to properly respond to law enforcement.

“Be prepared to deal with misinformation. Be prepared to deal with any actions from Washington and be prepared,” said LAUSD Board Member Monica Garcia.

Several districts also offer tuition for immigrant students and families. In Washington, the Edmonds School District has scheduled a “Know Your Rights” session led by representatives from the local Mexican consulate for immigrant members of their community.

The event was later canceled due to backlash, but the official flyer for the event said the Mexican consulate would be on hand to share with community members “how to prepare for immigration raids and your personal rights when approached, detained or detained by police or immigration agents.” .

Oregon’s largest school district, Portland Public Schools, passed a resolution earlier this month reaffirming its commitment to designate itself as a sanctuary school for undocumented students. Under the updated resolution, employees are still prohibited from disclosing a student’s immigration status without parental consent. And the district said it would not allow immigration officials into school buildings outside of the office.

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Nicole Neily, president and founder of the nonprofit Parents Defending Education (PDE), said there is “no doubt” that the increase in illegal immigration has put a strain on schools, not helped them. She said the new administration will not tolerate schools ignoring her policies.

“Given the poor state of civics education in America, it’s no wonder that administrators are under the false impression that they are above the law. But after Jan. 20, they need to know that the new administration will not look favorably on these violations,” Neely said.

In addition to actions aimed at bullying federal immigration authorities, some schools are bracing for possible funding cuts. Trump has made it clear he is open to potentially disbanding the Department of Education and has previously said he would cut federal funds from schools that do not follow the law.

Richmond Public Schools in Virginia plans to fund student lunches locally amid fears the Trump administration could eliminate the Community Eligibility Provision, which helps pay for student meals.

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“During the pandemic, we delivered millions of meals,” said Superintendent Jason Kamras. “So we’ll have to deal with that as well if we have to.”

In California, state Superintendent Tony Thurmond said his school system is “ready to introduce legislation that would guarantee funding for California schools and California education” if Trump gets rid of it.

Colleges and universities are also taking steps to protect their international students from possible deportation under Trump, with some encouraging their overseas students to return to campus ahead of Trump’s inauguration later this month. They also offered resources for non-citizen students.

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“The travel ban will likely go into effect shortly after the inauguration,” Cornell University’s Office of Global Learning said in a message to students after Trump’s victory.