Los Angeles city schools are ready with unprecedented protections to keep federal immigration authorities away as students return to the classroom.
School police, other officers and volunteer “scouts” will patrol some 100 schools that are part of the nation’s second-largest school system in hopes of keeping the district’s 400,000 students – and their families – out of reach from ICE.
"Our young people are going through this unnecessary trauma, which should not interfere with their education,” Mayor Karen Bass said.
Officers, both employed by the schools and surrounding municipalities, will establish “safe zones” in neighborhoods with a large Latino population, focusing specifically on watching out for older students who walk to class, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Bus routes have also been altered to help immigrant families avoid ICE agents during their commute, officials said.
Additionally, community volunteers will take on the role of scouts, alerting schools to nearby ICE agents so they can take necessary precautions, including potentially locking down the campus.
The initiatives, a collaboration between city and school officials, come at what Bass described as a “profound” moment in American history. Other programs the district is taking include coordinating food aid for families in hiding, providing information about online schooling options and distributing a “family preparedness” guide detailing their rights.
L.A. schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho, once an undocumented immigrant himself, said the district will oppose “any entity, at any level, that seeks to interfere with the educational process of our children.
"We want no one to stay home as a result of fears," Carvalho said.
“We are standing on the right side of the Constitution, and years from now, I guarantee you, we will have stood on the right side of history. We know that,” he said.
Officials’ worries are not unfounded. On Monday, a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was handcuffed outside Arleta High School. Federal agents drew their guns on the teen, who was later released after his relatives convinced federal agents he was not who they were looking for.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection told the Times that the school was not being targeted; rather, agents believed they were going after a “criminal illegal alien” and suspected MS-13 gang member.
The 2024-2025 school year ended in L.A. as immigration raids targeting workplaces broke out across the city.
The raids left parents scrambling to check apps dedicated to tracking ICE activity during important moments, such as their children’s graduation ceremony, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
Agents have also targeted homes with children who attend L.A. County schools. Mary, a mother of three without legal status, said she knew what to do when ICE agents came to her door twice in May because of what she learned from her local public school.
ICE agents — often dressed in plainclothes and driving unmarked vehicles — raided L.A. County businesses and homes this past June, and were often spotted near schools, too, sparking widespread panic and disruption of daily life.
The raids led to massive protests and prompted President Donald Trump to deploy 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to try and bring order to the city. It was the first time the National Guard had been ordered by the president, not the state, since 1965.
That escalation led to over 2,000 “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration’s policies in all 50 states, from California to Maine. The demonstrations coincided with a D.C. parade for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, which critics blasted as just an extravagant birthday party for Trump.
While litigation, including a temporary restraining order, appears to have slowed down immigration raids in L.A., local leaders believe they haven’t stopped completely.
