Several school districts in Connecticut have released guidance for what to do if immigration officers show up on school grounds, after a new Trump administration policy is allowing immigration agents to enter courthouses, schools and churches to capture undocumented residents.
This new policy marks a change after more than two decades, where agents were previously directed not to enter these “sensitive” areas.
Many educators are worried about the impact the new policy will have on their schools, including Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, the superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, who was a recent guest on Connecticut Public’s “Where We Live.”
“We are talking about young people in schools,” Torres-Rodriguez said. “The schools are places where students, our staff, our families are our partners and so we want to maintain safety.”
Torres-Rodriguez added, “The recent orders about schools and churches and hospitals now being fair game if you will … it adds an added layer of angst for students and for our educators.”
She said school officials are concerned about safety, but are prepared because they have leaned on guidance for interacting with immigration officers that had originally been developed during the first Trump administration.
“A lot of the guidance from 2017 we resurfaced and are empowering our educators and even our families and our school leaders with the information and the facts,” she said. “We know that locally and in our state we have additional guardrails, if you will.”
Torres-Rodriguez says the school community has been informed of what to do should ICE agents try to enter a school.
“We have been very explicit that if an agent does show up at the door that we are expecting to inquire about an actual warrant that is signed by a judge,” she said.
Local school districts get out ahead of state education officials
In Bridgeport, ICE officers aren’t allowed to enter school buildings, events or buses unless they have “prior written authorization” from interim Superintendent Royce Avery. In their statement, the district noted that the school district doesn’t collect or store information about immigration status.
ICE officers will not be allowed access to a school building in New Haven, unless it is “absolutely required by law” according to the New Haven district’s guidelines. And agents would have to first consult with Superintendent Madeline Negrón’s office.
According to policies the Stamford school district shared with its Board of Education in November, ICE officers are supposed to contact Superintendent Tamu Lucero’s office or the school district’s legal counsel in person if they intend to enter school buildings. If officers show up at a school without notice, school staff are expected to direct them to Lucero or legal counsel.
Even with the guidelines in place at many schools across the state, immigrant advocates worry that by stoking fear in immigrant communities, children will be kept from going to school.
The state Department of Education released a statement saying it is working to update statewide guidance.
“The Connecticut State Department of Education is currently reviewing the executive orders and Department of Homeland Security directives issued this week that may impact school districts,” the release said. “[The department is] working diligently to prepare guidance that ensures compliance with both state and federal law. This guidance will be made available to districts as soon as it is finalized.”
