District Officials and Parents Alarmed as Federal Agents Seek Access to Unaccompanied Minors Without Warrants
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the nation’s second-largest school district, federal immigration agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attempted to enter two Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary schools last week in search of students—only to be turned away by school officials. The incidents mark what appear to be the Trump administration’s first direct attempts to conduct immigration-related activity in public schools since reversing protections that had long shielded such “sensitive locations” from enforcement actions.
The DHS agents targeted Russell Elementary and Lillian Street Elementary Schools in South Los Angeles on April 7, seeking to question five students ranging from first through sixth grade. Officials from both schools demanded identification and followed LAUSD protocols before ultimately denying the agents entry. DHS later stated the visits were “welfare checks” on unaccompanied minors to ensure they were not victims of abuse or trafficking.
But the rationale offered by DHS has been met with skepticism, anger, and fear by educators, lawmakers, and immigrant advocates alike.
“I’m still mystified as to how a first-, second-, third-, fourth- or sixth-grader would pose any type of risk to the national security of our nation,” said LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho during a press conference. “Schools are places for learning… not places of fear.”
Carvalho, who immigrated to the United States without documentation at age 17, said the agents’ claims of caretaker authorization were later proven false. “Beyond my professional responsibility, I felt a moral responsibility to protect these students,” he added.
While DHS maintains the visits were not immigration enforcement, their timing and context suggest otherwise. The Trump administration in January rescinded guidelines from the Biden era that prohibited immigration actions in sensitive areas like schools, hospitals, and churches. Homeland Security officials now argue that such restrictions allowed “criminals” to hide in these institutions.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” former acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman said in a January statement. “The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement.”
But educators and community leaders say these policy reversals are stoking fear in immigrant communities and threatening the fundamental role schools play as safe havens. LAUSD, a self-declared sanctuary district, reiterated its commitment to shielding students regardless of immigration status. After the incidents, schools sent messages to parents assuring them that agents had been denied entry and that mental health support would be available for affected students and staff.
“We want to reaffirm the District’s unwavering commitment to the well-being and education of all students,” read a message from Lillian Street Elementary.
California lawmakers swiftly condemned the actions. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff issued a joint statement decrying what they described as immigration enforcement targeting elementary school children.
“ICE and immigration enforcement do not belong in schools… children deserve to feel safe and supported, not terrified of being arrested,” they said.
Representative Judy Chu of Pasadena echoed those sentiments, expressing concern that the fallout could lead to lower attendance.
“These are children who should be learning to read and write, not cowering in fear of being ripped away from their homes,” Chu said. “I’m concerned parents may keep their children home rather than risk sending them to school.”
That concern is already materializing elsewhere. In Colorado, Denver Public Schools filed a lawsuit in February challenging the rollback of protected areas. The district claims that attendance has dropped as families grow fearful of sending their children to school.
As the nation watches what unfolds in Los Angeles and Denver, the question remains: Will schools continue to serve as sanctuaries of learning and safety, or will they become new frontlines in the country’s ongoing immigration battles?
