Los Angeles students and teachers returned to classrooms on Thursday under the weight of anxiety, as the city’s immigrant communities grapple with heightened fears following a summer of federal immigration raids. The unease comes amid concerns that the Trump administration’s intensified enforcement could extend into school zones, unsettling thousands of families.Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has issued a pointed plea to immigration authorities: to refrain from conducting enforcement activity within a two-block radius of school campuses, beginning an hour before classes start and ending an hour after dismissal.“Hungry children, children in fear, cannot learn well,” Carvalho said in a news conference, as reported by Associated Press.
Protective measures and community preparedness
In response to mounting concerns, the district has rolled out a series of safeguards aimed at shielding students and families. Measures include the adjustment of bus routes to accommodate vulnerable pupils and the distribution of a family preparedness packet containing know-your-rights guidance, updated emergency contact forms, and advice on appointing backup caregivers in case a parent is detained.Spanning more than two dozen municipalities, LAUSD is the second-largest school system in the United States, serving over 500,000 students. According to the teachers’ union, approximately 30,000 of these students are immigrants, with an estimated quarter lacking legal status.
Incidents fueling distrust
Although no detentions have occurred inside schools, recent incidents have magnified tensions. Carvalho disclosed that on Monday, a 15-year-old boy with significant disabilities was pulled from a car and handcuffed outside Arleta High School in northern Los Angeles before being released when a bystander intervened in a case of mistaken identity.“This is the exact type of incident that traumatizes our communities; it cannot repeat itself,” he said, as reported by Associated Press.Earlier this year, two elementary schools denied entry to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials, and immigration agents have been spotted idling in vehicles outside campuses. While DHS did not respond to requests for comment, Carvalho noted that in several cases, conversations between district police or staff and federal agents resulted in the latter leaving school premises.The district is also collaborating with local law enforcement in certain cities and has launched a “rapid response” network to quickly alert communities about federal agent presence.
Educators brace for attendance drops
Teachers remain concerned that fear will keep some students from attending the first day of school. Lupe Carrasco Cardona, a high school social studies and English teacher at the Roybal Learning Center, recalled a dip in attendance in January when President Donald Trump assumed office.The sense of unease deepened in June, when immigration raids coincided with graduation ceremonies. “People were crying, for the actual graduation ceremony, there were hardly any parents there,” Cardona said, referring to an 8th-grade celebration overshadowed by a raid at a Home Depot near MacArthur Park.Even the high school graduation that followed suffered from the fallout; two buses rented to bring parents to the ceremony had many empty seats.
District mobilization and alternative learning
Some families, wary of physical attendance, have turned to online education. Carvalho reported a 7% increase in virtual enrollment this year. To counter absenteeism, the district reached out to 10,000 parents, visited more than 800 families over the summer, and will deploy 1,000 central office staff to high-risk areas on opening day.“We want no one to stay home as a result of fears,” Carvalho said, as reported by Associated Press.
