California schools could be required under new a bill to notify students and parents if federal immigration agents arrive on campus.
The measure for schools to alert families about ice, authored by Democratic Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, is a response to a new executive order by Donald Trump which removes restrictions preventing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting operations at schools and other “sensitive places.”
After returning to office last Monday, Trump has begun to implement his immigration agenda supported by a majority of voters. ICE raids and deportations have begun across the U.S. However, sanctuary states, including California, limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents, typically by not allowing local law enforcement agencies to assist ICE in detaining or reporting individuals based solely on their immigration status.
Under Pérez’s bill, called the Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act, schools and college campuses would alert students, parents, faculty, and staff if immigration officers are on site.
The emergency notification system would function similarly to those used for active shooter situations, instantly sending emails and text messages.
Pérez is considering introducing the legislation as an urgency bill, a type of legislation that goes into effect immediately once signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, according to The Sacramento Bee. The University of California Student Association (UCSA) is sponsoring this legislation.
Approximately 272,000 students enrolled in California public schools or colleges could face deportation, according to figures from the Migration Policy Institute.
Besides Pérez, other legislators from L.A. County have introduced their own bills to protect students and families in schools from immigration enforcement officers.
Assembly Education Chair Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, has a bill, AB 49, that would prevent school or child care employees from allowing ICE officials to enter a school or facility without valid identification and a judicial warrant, a written statement of purpose and explicit permission from the school district’s superintendent or the head of the child care center. The ICE agents’ access would also be limited to when students and children aren’t present.
Another bill, SB 48, introduced by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, would bar law enforcement agencies from working with or sharing information with federal immigration authorities for the purpose of immigration enforcement actions within 1 mile of a school site.
These bills have not been heard in committees.
Sasha Renée Pérez: “Everything that happens in political discussion is very personal for me.”
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