Fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) raids lingers in school communities nationwide as the new school year begins, and the presence of ICE officers at a Wilsonville middle school in mid-October only reinforced those fears.
“I want to be clear that TTSD, like Oregon, is a sanctuary district; our obligation is to keep students safe, and we are under no obligation to work on behalf of ICE,” Dr. Iton Udosenata, TTSD Superintendent, said in an email to staff following the Wilsonville incident.
Although schools are off-limits for ICE, they’re a significant worry for some families. As protests in Portland over the National Guard and ICE city violations dominate the national press, the security of immigrants is in question.
“In Portland, the ICE building is causing protests and political unrest. People have been protesting it because of Trump sending in the National Guard,” senior Kenyon Thompson said.
Schools, along with churches and other religious buildings, are technically considered “sensitive locations,” where ICE arrests are re-
stricted. However, recent federal policy changes have loosened these restrictions, such as the 287(g) program. This program allows ICE to partner with local law enforcement, deputizing them to carry out certain immigration enforcement under ICE supervision. Incidents like a U.S.-born student being detained outside his high school in California highlight the potential consequences of enforcement near schools. The 287(g) Program could make instances like this more common.
“I believe that students should be able to learn in a safe and inclusive environment that allows them to live without fear,” senior Gavin Smith said. “When ICE is involved in racial profiling, which targets students based on appearance, language, spoken or assumed immigration status, it violates the basic principles of fairness, equality and privacy of a student.”
Many students in Oregon have similar concerns about the larger impact of immigration enforcement on school safety and trust from the community. Even if ICE rarely operates near or at schools, the fear it creates can affect students’ sense of belonging in their own community.
As immigration debates continue across the nation, Oregon’s schools face the challenge of protecting students’ emotional and physical safety as the federal policies continue to shift. Whether or not ICE appears at schools, the concern over racial profiling in communities remains a reminder that education and immigration are deeply connected in the United States.
