Increased Police Presence in D.C. Schools Negatively Affects Children of Immigrants
In several schools serving large immigrant communities across the United States, attendance has seen a significant decrease. This trend is particularly noticeable in California's Central Valley, where a 22% spike in student absences compared to the previous two school years was recorded, coinciding with immigration raids.
The immigration crackdown has raised concerns about the academic outcomes of Latino students, who are more likely to have family ties to immigrants. A 40-year-old mother of three from Guatemala, who has lived illegally in the United States for over a decade, is one such individual affected. She is too afraid to take her two sons to their nearby charter school since her husband's detention.
The woman's older two children attend a local charter school. The older son, distressed over his father's absence, missed three days of school one week. In northwest Washington's Mount Pleasant neighborhood, federal agents became a common sight, and neighbors documented several arrests. This influx of law enforcement has taken a toll on children in some Washington communities, with some students having parents swept up in the crackdown and others fearing they or their family members could be next.
Despite these reports, Homeland Security officials stated that ICE agents have not entered schools to make arrests. However, education attorney Emma Leheny emphasized that fear can be pervasive even if ICE agents don't enter a school. The fear stirred by arrests near campuses has led some children to drop out of school, according to a lawsuit.
The country's largest teachers' unions have joined this lawsuit over the immigration crackdown. In Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia Public Schools could not provide data on school attendance during the federal intervention. In contrast, the deputy mayor for education in Washington stated that attendance had been about the same as the previous year.
It is important to note that in 2023, there were 4.6 million U.S.-born children living with a parent who did not have authorization to be in the country, according to the Pew Research Center. Additionally, another 1.5 million children were without legal permission themselves.
The woman's husband, a Guatemalan immigrant who has lived in the United States illegally for more than a decade, was later detained and is currently at a detention center in Virginia. He has since been deported. The mother, now contemplating returning to her home country due to fear of deportation and lack of child care, stated that her sons now sleep in her bed and wake in the middle of the night crying.
Schools in Washington reopened against the backdrop of a law enforcement surge that brought Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into normally quiet neighborhoods. As the situation continues to evolve, the impact on the educational outcomes of children with immigrant ties remains a significant concern.
