Los Angeles Schools Open Amid Immigration Raid Fears

By Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES — Students and teachers in Los Angeles return to classrooms Thursday amid heightened fears over immigration enforcement. This follows a summer marked by raids and growing concerns that schools could become targets.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has urged immigration authorities to avoid enforcement within two blocks of schools from an hour before classes begin until an hour after dismissal.

“Hungry children, children in fear, cannot learn well,” Carvalho said at a news conference.

District Implements Protective Measures

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest, serves more than 500,000 students across 24 cities. About 30,000 are immigrants, with an estimated quarter lacking legal status.

To protect families, the district is adjusting bus routes, distributing preparedness packets with know-your-rights information, and advising parents to designate backup caregivers in case of detention.

Carvalho said district police cannot block immigration agents, but staff have persuaded agents parked near schools to leave. The district is also working with local law enforcement and launching a rapid response network to alert communities about enforcement activity.

Incidents Fuel Fear

While no one has been detained inside a school, tensions rose after a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was handcuffed outside Arleta High School on Monday in a mistaken identity case. He was released after a bystander intervened.

“This is the exact type of incident that traumatizes our communities; it cannot repeat itself,” Carvalho said.

In April, administrators at two elementary schools denied Department of Homeland Security officials entry. Immigration agents have also been spotted outside schools in vehicles. DHS has not commented.

Impact on Attendance

Teachers fear attendance could drop. Lupe Carrasco Cardona, a teacher at Roybal Learning Center, recalled a dip when President Donald Trump took office in January. Raids in June, just before graduations, left ceremonies sparsely attended.

Madelyn, a 17-year-old student from Central America without legal status, said she feels fear instead of excitement. She worries about being targeted on public transit because of her skin color.

“We are simply young people with dreams who want to study, move forward and contribute to this country as well,” she said.

District Response to Keep Students in School

Some families have turned to online learning, with virtual enrollment rising 7% this year. Over the summer, the district contacted 10,000 parents, visited more than 800 families, and offered resources including legal aid and transportation.

On the first day of classes, 1,000 district staff will be deployed to areas hit by raids. “We want no one to stay home as a result of fears,” Carvalho said.

SOURCE: AP News