Communities in and around New Orleans are preparing for possible federal immigration raids, like those in Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina.
While schools haven’t been directly targeted so far, parents and teachers are worried now that Biden-era protections are gone.
WWNO education reporter Aubri Juhasz spoke with host Bob Pavlovich to discuss what plans are being made across the city's schools.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
BOB PAVLOVICH, HOST:
At this point, do we know anything more about what’s planned?
AUBRI JUHASZ, BYLINE: Not really. There still hasn’t been an official announcement from either the Trump administration or state officials. I reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, and a spokesperson told me they don’t discuss “future or potential operations.”
What we do know comes from the Associated Press, which reported last week, based on documents it obtained and interviews, that the administration plans to send around 250 federal agents to New Orleans starting Dec. 1.
Though people have been posting on social media that they’ve already seen more federal agents on the ground in the last week. The AP says the administration plans to arrest immigrants across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi over the next two months.
PAVLOVICH: Do we know whether schools could be targeted in these raids?
JUHASZ: It’s definitely something people are worried about. Though, to be clear, we haven’t seen agents target schools to arrest parents like they have targeted specific businesses, apartment complexes.
But people are concerned because schools used to have this added layer of security, and they no longer do. At the beginning of Trump’s second term, the U-S Department of Homeland Security — which oversees ICE and U-S Border Patrol – removed Biden-era measures that placed restrictions on immigration enforcement actions in or near sensitive locations. Including schools and school bus stops.
ICE said in a September statement that it is not targeting schools or daycare centers. But there have been news reports of immigration arrests happening near those places. And in one particular case, agents arrested a person inside a daycare center where they worked.
PAVLOVICH: OK, so how are schools in New Orleans preparing for possible arrests — at least nearby — and the impact those could have on students?
JUHASZ: The messaging to families from schools and community groups is that schools are a safe place for kids. And that parents should keep sending their kids, even if they’re afraid, since they could fall behind academically and miss meals if they stay home.
Public schools have a legal obligation to educate students regardless of their immigration status. And schools aren’t allowed to collect information on students’ or families’ legal status and citizenship. While the Biden-era protections are gone, immigration authorities still need a judicial warrant — one that’s signed by a judge, not immigration authorities — to get past a school’s lobby.
Many schools have been training staff to make sure they’re clear on what to do if agents show up. Basically, don’t let them in. Ask to see a warrant, and call the school district’s attorney. Some schools and districts have already had these plans and added supports in place for a while, including counseling for students who are dealing with chronic stress related to the administration’s immigration crackdown and may have a parent who has already been arrested.
PAVLOVICH: What about getting kids safely to and from school?
JUHASZ: That’s where a lot of community organizing is happening, because some parents — whether they have legal status or not — may be afraid to leave their homes.
In other cities, trained volunteers have been escorting kids to school and standing with them at bus stops. People have formed community watches, where parents and other volunteers monitor the area around schools, and if they spot federal agents, they alert the schools so they can notify parents.
Groups in New Orleans have clearly learned from these efforts — which people have been documenting on social media — and are preparing to do the same things here. Some schools are asking parents to volunteer. And immigrant advocacy groups are offering training and their own volunteers to stand outside schools during pickup and drop-off, at bus stops, and to walk with kids to and from school. The goal is to ensure schools are ready to reopen after the Thanksgiving break.
