California Moves To Protect School Children From Deportation
January 7, 2025
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California schools are gearing up to defend immigrant rights and enforce further protections for undocumented students attending elementary schools through university campuses.
Newsweek has contacted the incoming Trump administration for comment.
Why It Matters
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants as part of the “largest deportation program in U.S. history.”
Trump and his incoming administration are believed to be prepared to carry out immigration raids, including inside schools and churches, as part of their mass deportation strategy.
State leaders say this threat is already causing concern within immigrant communities. The suspension reflects a climate of uncertainty and fear affecting communities across the state amid the looming threat of deportations.
Protesters in Sacramento, California, in 2018. California schools are gearing up to defend immigrant rights and enforce further protections for undocumented students attending elementary schools through university campuses. Protesters in Sacramento, California, in 2018. California schools are gearing up to defend immigrant rights and enforce further protections for undocumented students attending elementary schools through university campuses. NOAH BERGER/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
On Monday, officials detailed steps to assist school leaders, inform parents and offer mental health support to families dealing with anxiety.
This initiative to provide reassurance and resources in public schools—where every child is entitled to an education, regardless of immigration status—is aimed at addressing concerns ahead of Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
California’s response was led on Monday by Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and state Attorney General Rob Bonta, coinciding with the first day of the spring semester.
California officials announced mandatory training sessions for school employees, outlining restrictions on providing assistance or documentation to federal immigration authorities.
The state’s second-largest school district will also distribute informational cards to parents, detailing their legal rights.
State-funded mental health support is available for students, accessible online or by phone. Support can also be arranged in person through schools or via the district’s “parent portal.”
The incoming administration reportedly plans to revoke a long-standing policy that restricts Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting undocumented individuals at or near designated sensitive locations.
NBC News reports that these include places of worship, schools and hospitals.
What People Are Saying
Carvalho told the Los Angeles Times on Monday: “These are necessary steps for people who are members of our community, who are tax-paying members of our community, who are students in our environment, who are members of our workforce.
“This board, this administration, shall not waver from our commitment, our professional and moral responsibility to care for, to protect, and to support our students and their families, regardless of their immigration status.
“Secondly, we will use all available resources to us, in partnership with the city and the county, to declare that our schools, our schools are protected ground. We would not allow any law enforcement entity to take any type of immigration action against our students or their families within our care … This is not only about our students or their families. It’s also about our workforce.”
Bonta told the Los Angeles Times: “You can be sure that if Trump attacks the rights of our immigrants, I will take action. We’ve been here before.
“We’re ready to do it again … We’ve been preparing for weeks and for months [for] Trump’s latest plans for mass deportations and arrests, his claims that he’ll deport U.S. citizens and use the military … His plans are inhumane, illogical and fiscally irresponsible.”
What Happens Next
As preparations get underway to oppose Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, the latest move offers a glimpse into how sanctuary cities in California are responding.
Trump, who will take office in less than two weeks, has repeatedly vowed to enact a controversial mass deportation policy as part of a hard-line immigration agenda.
Customs and Border Protection sources have told Newsweek they expect the president-elect to sign a raft of executive orders focusing on border security within 24 hours after he assumes office.
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