Schools in Richmond are First in the Country to Create Policies to Deal with ICE Raids

Richmond School Board voted unanimously this week to adopt a resolution preparing the members of its community for Immigration and Customs Enforcement's potential presence. The motion safeguards migrant students in the event that ICE tries to enter Richmond schools.

The resolution, which was officially passed Tuesday night, stated that "it is the right of every child, regardless of immigration status, to access a free public K-12 education" — and the schools' responsibility to ensure they can do so safely.

The School Board decided that school staff must notify the principal immediately if immigration enforcement agents are requesting to enter an institution. The principal is solely responsible for all interactions with immigration agents and must follow an eight-step process to handle the request, VPM reports.

The new policy also declares that immigration enforcement will not disrupt the educational environment, so they will not be allowed in schools without a judicial warrant or if "any other legal considerations apply."

"Richmond Public Schools, to the furthest extent of the law, will not allow any individual or organization to enter a school site if that visit would disrupt the educational setting," RPS District 9 chairwoman Shavonda Fernandez said.

The warrant would then be taken to Superintendent Jason Kamras' office for review before any decision is made, WRIC reports. School principals were also directed not to provide any information— including students' schedules or behavioral notes— without a lawyer present.

At the same time, the resolution calls for the creation of a Rapid Response Team within the next month focused on what to do if ICE detains a student's caretaker, while also making sure the school district isn't collecting data on students' immigration status, Axios reports.

While the new motion is the first of its kind in the Virginia area, some parents believe it didn't go far enough in its efforts to protect students.

"I don't think [immigration officers] should be allowed in— period," Martinez told VPM. "I don't think [agents] coming in with the judicial warrant to get my 8-year-old should even be allowed, because [they] may suspect that he's illegally here. I'm so angry at this. I think it's vile. I think it's disgusting."

Schools have historically been off limits for immigration enforcement. However, that all changed almost as soon after President Trump took office, getting rid of a decades-long policy that prevented agents from arresting migrants without legal status in sensitive places such as schools, hospitals and churches, according to NPR.

So far, no school districts have reported ICE agents demanding entry, despite confusion at a Chicago public school last month that mistook Secret Service agents who showed up at an elementary school for ICE and reacted with alarm, The Hill reports.

Some blue states like California, are distributing "know your rights" cards to immigrant families at K-12 campuses. While other red states, like Oklahoma are moving to require proof of citizenship for the guardians of public school students. Experts say the different policies could create precarious environments for students and educators.

"It's concerning because it could increase educational disparities between red, blue [and] purple states based on their state-level policies related to these things," said Victoria Francis, deputy director of state and local initiatives at the American Immigration Council.

"So, students in different states might not have access to the same level of education because some students feel safer in their learning environment, other students don't and choose not to attend school," she continued.