A school district in Connecticut is defying President Donald Trump‘s order to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to go to sensitive locations.
Bridgeport Public Schools announced on Tuesday guidelines designed to protect students in the event of an attempted raid by ICE agents at any of its schools.
Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment outside of normal office hours.
Why It Matters
Trump has begun implementing sweeping immigration reforms and is preparing to target millions of undocumented immigrants. The school district’s stance signals the emergence of grassroots opposition to the administration’s plans to initiate the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
What To Know
Bridgeport Public Schools’ announcement came after the acting director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive on January 21 ending the policy that ICE agents would not conduct actions in or near “sensitive” areas, such as churches, hospitals or schools.
Interim school superintendent Dr. Royce Avery reaffirmed that the school district’s immigration enforcement guidelines remain in place. Avery said that ICE agents and other government officials are prohibited from entering school buildings, boarding buses or attending school events without prior written approval from the superintendent.
“Every student in Bridgeport, regardless of their immigration status, has the right to feel secure and supported in our schools,” he said.
Avery did not say if any ICE raids were planned in Bridgeport. He added that Bridgeport Public Schools does not collect or store information about students’ immigration status, ensuring their privacy is protected.
Meanwhile, a pastor who has had discussions with Trump officials about church policies previously told Newsweek that ICE will focus exclusively on targeting serious criminals.
The ICE policy requiring agents to seek prior approval before making arrests in sensitive locations was established in 2011 by a memo from then-Director John Morton. It remained in place throughout the first Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration.
Under the previous policy, ICE agents could enter sensitive locations, such as churches, schools and hospitals, to make arrests under specific conditions. These included responding to national security or terrorism threats, apprehending dangerous felons, preventing imminent risks of death or injury or preserving evidence in a criminal investigation from being destroyed.
Before arresting in a sensitive location, agents were required to obtain approval from their superiors.
What People Are Saying
Interim school superintendent Dr. Royce Avery said in a press release: “I became an educator to advocate for all students, and I will ensure their rights and privacy are upheld. Our schools will remain a safe space where all students can learn, grow, and succeed without fear or discrimination.”
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman said in a statement: “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
Janet Murguía, president and CEO of Latino civil rights and advocacy organization UnidosUS, told Newsweek: “Many of the president’s proposed executive orders, however, are strictly punitive measures such as changing enforcement targets to include schools, churches and hospitals, and are designed to inflict pain on the most vulnerable—families, children and even the sick and injured.”
Olivia Golden, interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy, said in a statement: “This action could have devastating consequences for immigrant families and their children, including U.S. citizen children, deterring them from receiving medical attention, seeking out disaster relief, attending school, and carrying out everyday activities.”
“Should ICE presence near such locations become more common, the likelihood also increases that children could witness a parent’s detention, arrest, or other encounters with ICE agents,” Golden said.
What Happens Next
ICE has not yet released any public information on immigration enforcement raids under the second Trump administration. However, the guidelines set by Bridgeport Public Schools indicate a growing concern among institutions about the impact of such enforcement actions on immigrant communities.
As the policy change unfolds, it is expected that more school districts, faith-based organizations and other community groups may follow Bridgeport’s lead in establishing protections for immigrant communities. These actions could lead to further clashes between local and federal authorities over immigration enforcement in sensitive locations.
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