As the back-to-school season begins across the United States, thousands of immigrant families are grappling with a deeply unsettling dilemma: Whether sending their children to class may expose them to immigration enforcement actions suggests a report by NBC News. For mixed-status households, the school gates now represent more than just an entrance to education; they symbolize risk, fear, and uncertainty.“I’ve heard so many people ask what to do, whether to take them or not, because of all these fears,” said Oreana, a Venezuelan mother of four in Phoenix, Arizona, in a conversation with Noticias Telemundo.Her concern stems from a policy reversal under the Trump administration, which quietly stripped away the designation of schools, churches, and hospitals as “sensitive locations” for immigration enforcement. Until January, these spaces were generally considered off-limits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But since then, the landscape has changed.Although ICE told NBC News in March that it “does not typically conduct immigration enforcement activities at schools or school buses,” and that such operations would follow a “case-by-case determination,” the chilling effect is already evident.
Absenteeism soars in fearful communities
The implications are far from abstract. According to a study by Thomas S. Dee, a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, immigration raids in California’s Central Valley, a region with a high population of immigrant farmworkers, triggered a 22% spike in daily student absences.“We saw, when the raids began, a sharp increase in student absences that was very distinctive from the typical patterns we’d see across the school year,” Dee told Noticias Telemundo, noting the phenomenon was most severe among preschool and elementary-age students, a reflection of parental anxiety.In Washington state’s Highline district, chronic absenteeism hit a staggering 48% in the most recent school year, a dramatic reversal of previous attendance gains. In Chicago, teachers reported a 20% drop in high school attendance compared to the prior academic year.The fear, however, extends beyond missing a few school days. “Such extensive absences lead not only to poor academic performance; they often lead to students dropping out of school,” the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) wrote in a statement to NBC News. “And the impact of dropping out of high school is profound.”
Educational fallout and emotional toll
Experts emphasize the cascading effects of chronic absenteeism, particularly for already-vulnerable populations. “Attending school regularly is one of the most powerful predictors of long-term health, well-being, and success,” said Josh Sharfstein of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, speaking at a June conference.This trend threatens to compound the pandemic-induced setbacks in student learning, mental health, and engagement. “We’re in an environment where we’ve seen historic losses in student achievement… and I see these immigration raids as only adding to the already considerable challenges,” Dee told NBC News.The economic fallout is also real. In California and other states that tie school funding to average daily attendance, absences directly impact district budgets. “I would expect that to have pejorative economic consequences for these communities as well as for the financial viability of the school districts serving them,” Dee warned as reported by NBC News.
Inequities in truancy enforcement
The consequences of absenteeism aren’t just educational; they can be legal. Repeated absences may lead to referrals to truancy court, where students may face fines or, in extreme cases, detention. And the data shows systemic disparities.Research cited by NBC News reveals that Latino, Black, and Indigenous students are more likely to be referred to truancy courts and have their absences marked as “unexcused,” exacerbating cycles of punishment and disadvantage.
Districts and activists mobilize
Educators and advocacy groups are responding with urgency. In Los Angeles, hundreds of teachers with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) marched last weekend, demanding robust district policies to shield immigrant families from ICE-related disruptions. They called for “clear, proactive protocols that protect students and families from ICE and other federal agencies.”In Connecticut, schools tackled the issue head-on by contacting families directly, collaborating with community leaders, and offering contingency plans. Some districts have turned to virtual options to support students too fearful to attend in person.“In some districts, we’ve heard from students who can’t attend classes regularly right now for reasons like fear of raids, and they’ve been offered virtual learning,” Dee said.The Attendance Works organization, led by Hedy Chang, has launched a public campaign encouraging the treatment of chronic absenteeism as a national health crisis.
A call for stability amid uncertainty
District leaders in immigrant-rich communities are increasingly vocal about their stance. In Washington state, Highline School District’s communications manager, Tove Tupper, emphasized via email: “We’re committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all students, families, and staff,” reaffirming that “all students have a right to a public education, as protected by law,” regardless of immigration status.But for many parents, assurances on paper don’t always translate into confidence on the ground. For them, the looming threat of a school-time immigration raid is enough to make them keep their children home, even if it means jeopardizing their education.As school bells ring this August, many classrooms across America may remain partly empty, not due to illness or indifference, but because families are caught between the promise of opportunity and the fear of enforcement.
