A surge in immigration enforcement near Los Angeles schools is reigniting fear among immigrant families, raising urgent questions about student safety and “safe zone” protections.
The recent surge in immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles has reignited widespread fear among immigrant communities, causing Latino families to keep children home from school and reigniting debate over the future of “safe zones” in education.
Advocates, educators, and state leaders are raising urgent concerns following a sweeping U.S. Customs and Border Patrol operation that have resulted in detentions at gas stations, near job sites, and neighborhoods in and around LA. Though no schools have been directly raided, sightings of Border Patrol agents near campuses and community centers have rattled families, disrupting learning and renewing calls for stronger legal protections.
“Students are scared,” said Maria Velasco, a teacher at a Los Angeles Unified School District middle school. “Some of my students have stopped coming to class because their families are afraid of being picked up.” She’s observed a rise in absences and heightened anxiety among her students, many of whom have family members who are undocumented or in the middle of immigration proceedings.
“Her classmates don’t leave their homes,” said Karina Torres, a parent in South L.A., referring to her daughter’s friends who’ve vanished from classrooms in recent weeks. “They’re afraid their families will be torn apart.”
This fear is not isolated. Across Los Angeles County, immigrant families—particularly those without legal status or those navigating asylum—are choosing to keep their children home from school, fearing detention or deportation could strike at any moment.
While schools, hospitals, and houses of worship were once protected under the federal government’s “sensitive locations” policy, enforcement practices have become less predictable. Community members say the erosion of that policy, alongside increasingly aggressive operations, has destroyed trust in those protections.
An estimated 1 in 10 children in California—around 1 million—has at least one undocumented parent. Roughly 133,000 students in the state’s public schools are undocumented themselves. For these families, a knock at the door can shatter their sense of safety.
“This isn’t just about immigration,” said Ashley De La Rosa, education policy director for the Dolores Huerta Foundation. “It’s about the trauma that keeps kids from learning and families from functioning.”
Research from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research found that immigration crackdowns lead to a measurable drop in school enrollment, especially in Latino communities. One study reported a nearly 10% drop in Latino student enrollment in areas where local law enforcement collaborated with ICE.
Children under this stress are more likely to suffer academically, emotionally, and socially. Teachers across Kern County report students struggling to focus, participate, or even show up to class amid fears for their families’ safety.
Rosa Lopez, an attorney with the ACLU of Kern County, works with the local Rapid Response Network hotline. She said the recent raids were marked by “a lot of terror,” especially as agents profiled people who looked Latino or like farmworkers. Agents were spotted near gas stations, day laborer sites, and even in the parking lot of a Home Depot—targeting spaces where immigrant workers congregate.
The fear has crossed cultural boundaries. Members of the community—many of whom are asylum seekers or green card holders—said the detention of a U.S. citizen was a “wake-up call.”
Schools and communities across Los Angeles are beginning to respond. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which reaffirmed its “Safe Zones” resolution in recent years, has reminded staff that campuses are off-limits to immigration enforcement without a signed judicial warrant.
Several L.A. schools have partnered with immigrant rights organizations to distribute “red cards” that inform families of their constitutional rights during immigration encounters. Community groups like CHIRLA and CARECEN are also hosting know-your-rights workshops and offering legal clinics on school campuses to support families navigating fear and uncertainty.
At the state level, officials are taking stronger action. California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued new guidance on how K-12 schools and colleges should handle immigration enforcement, reaffirming that campuses must be protected spaces.
Meanwhile, State Senator Lena Gonzalez and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond introduced SB 48, a bill that would establish a one-mile “safe zone” around all public schools. The bill prohibits schools from cooperating with immigration agents unless they have a judicial warrant and aims to codify long-standing safe zone policies into law.
“This is about protecting every child’s right to learn without fear,” Gonzalez said.
Advocates are urging families to prepare emergency plans in case of detention or deportation. That includes legal affidavits allowing trusted adults to make decisions for children, especially those with special needs or Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
De La Rosa emphasized that families can file formal complaints if schools fail to uphold their duty to protect students, whether through the Office for Civil Rights or their local district’s Uniform Complaint Procedure.
“Families need reassurance from their school districts and elected leaders,” she said. “If that doesn’t happen, they have a right to hold folks accountable.”
