SAN DIEGO — San Diego Unified School District leaders are reaffirming their commitment to keep immigration enforcement agents off school campuses and to protect all students regardless of immigration status.

What You Need To Know

  •  San Diego Unified School District said it has no confirmed reports of ICE agents on its campuses

  • They took proactive steps last December to prepare their own educators, students and families for the possible uncertainties the Trump administration might create for immigrant rights, LGBTQIA rights and the rights of other marginalized groups

  • SB 48 is advancing in the state legislature and would limit ICE access to school campuses

  • SDUSD says they will continue updating their protocols as immigration policies evolve

School might be out for the summer, but Principal Fernando Hernandez at Perkins K-8 school is always thinking about how he can keep his students safe. The San Diego Unified School District began taking steps last December to protect students from possible Trump administration actions.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a previous policy that restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in “sensitive locations” like schools and churches.

A statement issued by DHS read in part, “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens... Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”

Hernandez said they serve families and students from all over the world who are terrified of ICE; but the school district reports that so far, no ICE agents have been reported on any of its campuses.

“The level of stress went up in the community. It’s palpable. You can feel it,” Hernandez said.

In addition to the school district’s measures, a bill is advancing in the state legislature that would limit ICE access to school campuses. SB 48, a California Senate bill, primarily focuses on protecting students and their families by restricting immigration law enforcement access to school campuses. It aims to ensure schools remain safe and inclusive spaces, regardless of students’ immigration status.

The San Diego Unified School District addressed growing concerns following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a popular South Park restaurant ahead of the dinner rush on May 30.

“Every student, regardless of how they identify or where they come from, deserves to feel supported, safe and inspired to come to school,” said Dr. Fabi Bagula, the interim superintendent for the San Diego Unified School District.

“When immigration enforcement officials decide to turn a neighborhood in South Park into a militarized zone, a block and a half from a school where students were getting out of their after-school programs and parents had to go around the back of the school to pick up their students so that their students wouldn’t be exposed to what was happening out in the streets in their own neighborhood, we don’t ignore that’s an intentional attempt on the part of politicians in this country to strike fear into the hearts of our families,” said Richard Barrera, vice presidents and trustee of the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education.

Related Stories

The district highlighted steps they have taken over the past year to safeguard undocumented students and their families, including launching a website providing legal resources for undocumented students. They have also provided services to 656 students and their families at their Newcomer Welcome Centers, distributed 10,000 red cards that have information on them to inform individuals of their rights when interacting with law enforcement agencies like ICE, conducted numerous “Know Your Rights” presentations, and held four different staff trainings conducted by its Investigations, Compliance, and Accountability (ICA) and Equity & Belonging.

Ashley Ordaz Puentes just finished her sophomore year at University City High School. As a daughter of immigrants, she wants to support fellow students worried about their safety.

“My hope is to be able to get rid of this fear. I want encouragement. I want bravery. I don’t want people to feel like ‘oh I don’t know if I can walk out of this grocery store’ because I’ve had that fear myself and it’s not a good thing to live through, especially being so young and having so much of a future ahead of you,” Ashley said. “We obviously do care for [the undocumented students], and we do have a little bit of extra space to protect them; but at the end of the day, they are family to us, so whatever happens to them happens to us.”

Hernandez hopes he can start the new school year focused on his student’s education, not worrying about their personal safety.

“That sense of belonging is critical and crucial because they have not had a sense of belonging in a very long time,” he said. “I hope that all of this passes over and that things stabilize, because right now they’re not stable.”

The school district says they will continue updating their protocols as immigration policies evolve. SB 48 needs to pass the assembly and then get the Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.