Amid fear of mass deportations under the incoming Trump administration, a state lawmaker wants to make all California schools and child care centers safe havens for immigrant children by passing legislation that would limit immigration officers’ access to school grounds.
The bill, introduced Monday by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, would prohibit school or child care center employees from letting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers enter their sites without a valid ID, statement of purpose, court order and approval from the school district’s superintendent or director of the child care center.
If an ICE officer meets all those requirements, they can only enter facilities where children aren’t present.
One in 5, or 20%, of California children live in mixed-status families where at least one of their relatives is an undocumented immigrant, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. Muratsuchi, who chairs the Assembly’s education committee, said the threat of being deported or becoming separated from their parents is casting fear over many of those students.
“Our children should not be afraid to come to school and parents should not be afraid to send their children to school,” he said.
State leaders worry that fear may affect students’ attendance and ability to learn.
Under Trump’s first term as president, Latino student attendance and academic performance dropped significantly in areas affected by deportation arrests, according to a 2018 Stanford study.
In late November, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to school leaders to remind them that all students have the constitutional right to attend public school, regardless of their immigration status.
“As we continue our shared work to provide students with a safe and supportive environment, I am compelled to reaffirm the state’s unwavering commitment to the rights and dignity of all students within our education system, including immigrant students and students from immigrant families,” Newsom wrote.
Muratsuchi’s bill builds upon a state law that prohibits schools from gathering information about students’ immigration status and another that allows schools to deny anyone access to a campus during school hours to limit disruption to the learning environment and to ensure the safety of their staff and students.
Experts praised the bill for designating schools and child care centers as safe spaces for immigrant families but say it stops short of addressing the possibility of immigration crackdowns that occur near or just outside of schools when parents pick up or drop off young children.
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