Los Angeles Schools on Alert Amid Rise of ICE Agent Impersonators Throughout the District

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has issued a warning about reports of individuals impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and approaching members of the school community.

Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho stated through a social media post that these incidents have created fear within the district and emphasized that impersonating law enforcement is illegal:

Meanwhile, students throughout LAUSD continued organizing walkouts across the county to protest President Trump's immigration policies, including his executive orders expanding ICE's authority to arrest individuals in sensitive locations such as schools and churches. As a result, schools in the area have been handing out "Know Your Rights" cards, which let students know their legal protections if approached by an agent with ICE

The practice has been supported by LA Mayor Karen Bass' Office of Immigrant Affairs with the aim to help immigrant Angelenos "assert their constitutional rights in encounters with federal law enforcement officials," the Community Resource Guide for Immigrant Angelenos said.

The protests follow a series of demonstrations that included blocked freeways and disrupted traffic in downtown Los Angeles this past week. At Roosevelt High School, students walked out before 10 a.m., waving flags from Latin American countries despite light rain. Similar protests were reported at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School, Garfield High School, and others across the district.

The wave of student activism coincides with the Trump administration's shift in immigration enforcement policies, especially as it pertains to sensitive locations. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement in support of the executive orders, stating, that "criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest."

The new policies reversed long-standing protections established in 2011 that restricted ICE enforcement in sensitive locations such as schools. The shift has led to heightened concerns among students and educators, prompting increased vigilance within LAUSD.