Advocates Demand Urgent Action to Stop Immigration Enforcement Targeting Students
September 10, 2025
Washington, DC — Today, civil rights and immigrant rights advocates issued an urgent call to school boards and education leaders across the country to protect immigrant students from immigration enforcement in and around schools.
The demand came during a national virtual press conference held on Wednesday, September 10th, where advocates, movement lawyers, and organizers condemned recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement activities near school grounds and warned that these actions threaten the safety and education of immigrant children. The speakers represented Advancement Project, Alliance for Educational Justice, Juntos, MomsRising and Children’s Defense Fund.
The event, titled “School Is In, Get ICE Out”, drew attention to escalating fears in immigrant communities as ICE agents have been reported detaining people outside of schools, during immigration hearings, and even in neighborhoods where children walk to and from school. Advocates stressed that these tactics deepen the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline, pushing students from classrooms into the criminal legal system and, for many, leading to eventual deportation. A recording of the event is available upon request.
Speakers also highlighted the administration’s recent rollback of restrictions that once limited where immigration enforcement could take place. Local 287(g) agreements, which deputize police to act as immigration agents, have further heightened fear in immigrant communities.
Adaku Onyeka-Crawford, Director of the Opportunity to Learn Program at Advancement Project, said: “No child should have to choose between going to school and staying safe. The administration has removed polices that once made schools a safer place for all children by enacting countless policies to terrorize immigrant community members. The latest Supreme Court decision allows ICE to use racial profiling to violate the constitutional rights of Black and Latine Americans, disrupting the lives of immigrant families across the country when they should be celebrating their children at the start of the new school year. We are proud to support our colleagues across the U.S. in denouncing the administration’s efforts to expand the school-to-prison pipeline and continue to call on school leaders to keep immigration enforcement away from our children.”
Leidy Robledo, National Co-Director at Alliance for Educational Justice, said: “When schools fail to act, they become complicit in this harm. Every time an ICE agent is allowed near a school, every time police share information with immigration enforcement, every time a student is pushed out instead of supported, schools send the message that immigrant youth are disposable. Educators, administrators, and staff face a choice — either to protect and defend students, or to stand by while their rights and safety are stripped away.”
Beatriz Beckford, National Director of Youth & Family Justice at MomsRising, said: “At MomsRising, we hear every day from families. Some are targeted directly, others have seen loved ones taken away. Many are watching their children carry unbearable fear while parents also live in fear, communities are torn apart, and children are left behind. And still, through it all, one truth unites us: that as moms we are clear that all children deserve safety, no matter where they were born, what language they speak, or the color of their skin. Schools, hospitals, and houses of worship must remain safe places for every family. Every child deserves the chance to grow up with peace, stability, and dignity. It’s time, past time, for our government to treat immigrant families and asylum seekers with compassion and respect, to stop terrorizing children, and to realize the promise of safe schools for all.”
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, President & CEO at Children’s Defense Fund, said: ”Schools are our children’s sanctuaries for growth and learning. Attacks targeting immigrant children in schools, parks, and neighborhoods impede all our children’s opportunity to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. Educators and administrators should use every tool at their disposal to protect school environments so students can learn freely and play safely. Their leadership is critical to advancing the well-being of children and families.”
Guadalupe Mendez, Director of Youth Organizing at Juntos, said: “Immigrant communities have long been essential to Philadelphia, and city leadership need to do better about providing them with the support that they need. Our youth are our future, and the disparities that many in our communities are constantly facing disproportionately put them at a disadvantage. We are asking City Council and the School District of Philadelphia to prioritize investments in our immigrant communities as we continue to see direct attacks on our communities at a federal level. Starting with our students; immigrant students deserve to have a space where they can acclimate without fear of being bullied or taken from their new home.”
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Advancement Project is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. We are a co-convener of the National Campaign for Police Free schools, a formation of 20+ youth-led grassroots organizations fighting to end the criminalization of youth in the classroom, create liberatory educational spaces, and implement an affirmative vision of safety and transformative justice. Visit www.advancementproject.org to learn more.
