Is everyone still safe at school? As the school year goes on, this country has seen that undocumented immigrants are no longer safe at their immigration hearings, in hospitals, at their place of work, or even at church. So are immigrants still safe at school?
Historically, schools, hospitals, and places of worship were considered sensitive places and, therefore, safe from ICE raids. They were designated as sensitive to encourage undocumented persons to go to the hospital and enroll their children in school.
After Donald Trump took office in January, he signed an executive order that ended federal protection for sensitive places. For schools, this caused significant issues, with enrollment dropping and chronic absenteeism increasing. Studies have also shown that policies involving ICE around schools are more likely to harm students’ academic performance.
Portland Public Schools students have some protection. All PPS staff are prohibited from cooperating or sharing information with ICE, and officials are not allowed access to school properties past the front office. The only way ICE can legally bypass these protections is with a federal warrant.
Cleveland High School has the same policies as the district. In a conversation with Principal JoAnn Wadkins, she was very clear that ICE will never be legally allowed on this campus, except in the presence of a warrant. She also said she wants to “make sure that all of our students know their rights.”
Students are also protected by the Federal Law, FERPA, which prevents schools from sharing confidential information. According to Wadkins, PPS does not record or document a student’s citizenship status.
One thing that was emphasized during the conversation with Wadkins was that while students are safe on campus, they are not protected if they leave campus. This means McDonald’s or Starbucks is not a safe space for undocumented students if ICE were to show up.
Principal Wadkins also said that if you are concerned about ICE, you can pick up a red card from the counselor’s office. If ICE wishes to speak with you, all you need to do is give them the card, and you don’t have to say anything.
From a statement published on Sept. 12, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that ICE does not raid schools and says that statements claiming otherwise are “fearmongering by the media.”
However, later in the statement, DHS claims that when ICE agents enter school, they “use discretion” and that the federal directive allows for agents to “do their job.”
In short, the Cleveland campus is theoretically still safe for everyone, and ICE is not allowed on campus and you are not required to speak to them. These protections do not necessarily apply outside of the campus. If you have concerns about your safety you can talk to your counselor, a teacher, or administration.
As ICE escalates raids and illegally detains more and more people, make sure you know your rights, and ask yourself, what would I do if ICE showed up?
