How the Immigration Crackdown is Impacting Children
Julie Sugarman explains how these actions are impacting schools and children from immigrant families.
Updated: 9:45 PM CDT May 3, 2025
PROMISE TO CRACK DOWN ON IMMIGRATION DURING HIS FIRST THREE MONTHS BACK IN OFFICE. HIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED 175 IMMIGRATION SPECIFIC EXECUTIVE ACTIONS. THAT鈥橲 ACCORDING TO ANALYSIS FROM THE MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE. IT鈥橲 LED TO ARRESTS, RAIDS, DEPORTATIONS, THOSE EXPULSIONS INCLUDE CHILDREN. RECENTLY, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REMOVED THREE CHILDREN WHO ARE U.S. CITIZENS. SO WHAT鈥橲 THE TOLL BEEN ON CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE UNDOCUMENTED OR MAY BE UNDOCUMENTED THEMSELVES? WHAT鈥橲 THE TOLL BEEN ON THE SCHOOLS THEY ATTEND? JULIE SUGARMAN IS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR K THROUGH 12 EDUCATION RESEARCH AT THE MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. THANK YOU. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE GENERALLY AND THEN SPECIFICALLY KIDS, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE DISCUSSING? THERE鈥橲 ABOUT 13 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE IN THE U.S., BUT THIS AFFECTS MORE THAN JUST CHILDREN WHO ARE UNDOCUMENTED THEMSELVES. THERE鈥橲 ABOUT 9 MILLION CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN A HOUSEHOLD WITH A PARENT OR ANOTHER ADULT WHO IS NOT A CITIZEN. ARE THERE LAWS THAT DICTATE HOW A SCHOOL SHOULD DEAL WITH, LET鈥橲 SAY, ICE? IF IT WERE TO SHOW UP ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS? ABSOLUTELY. WE HAVEN鈥橳 SEEN ICE DOING ANY OPERATIONS IN SCHOOLS, BUT WE HAVE SEEN THEM AROUND SCHOOLS. THERE鈥橲 A LOT OF SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING POLICIES. THEY RELY ON THE FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PRIVACY. THERE CAN BE A REQUIREMENT TO HAVE A JUDICIAL WARRANT TO BE IN THE PRIVATE AREAS OF A SCHOOL. SO A SCHOOL CAN SAY, IF ICE COMES TO OUR CAMPUS, WE ARE GOING TO REQUIRE A JUDICIAL WARRANT. AND THAT鈥橲 SOMETHING THAT SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN DOING, IS SHOWING TEACHERS AND OTHER STAFF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ADMINISTRATIVE WARRANT, WHICH IS SOMETHING WHERE ICE HAS SOMETHING FROM THEIR OWN OFFICE SAYING WHAT THEY WANT TO DO VERSUS A JUDICIAL WARRANT, WHICH IS ACTUALLY SIGNED BY A JUDGE. BUT SCHOOLS CAN ALSO VOLUNTARILY COOPERATE. SO THESE POLICIES THAT THEY鈥橰E DEVELOPING ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE鈥橲 ON THE SAME PAGE WITH HOW HOW THE SCHOOL IS GOING TO RESPOND IF ICE COMES. ARE THERE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT YOU鈥橰E SEEING FRONT OFFICES DO IN TERMS OF JUST GATHERING INFORMATION? ABSOLUTELY. A LOT OF SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW ARE GOING BACK AND LOOKING AT THEIR POLICIES AROUND INFORMATION, MAKING SURE THAT THEY鈥橰E ONLY COLLECTING THE INFORMATION THEY ABSOLUTELY NEED, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS THAT ARE SENSITIVE, LIKE WHERE A CHILD WAS BORN OR INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR PARENTS. AND THERE IS A FEDERAL LAW THAT REQUIRES PARENTAL NOTIFICATION AND PERMISSION TO GIVE INFORMATION OUT. AND SO SCHOOLS ARE MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT INFORMATION CAN BE GIVEN TO ICE OR TO OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WHAT CAN鈥橳. WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY ABOUT THE EDUCATION OF ALL CHILDREN, INCLUDING CHILDREN WHO ARE UNDOCUMENTED? THERE鈥橲 TWO REALLY IMPORTANT SUPREME COURT CASES. ONE IS PLYLER VERSUS DOE FROM 1982, WHICH SAYS THAT ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ENROLLED IN SCHOOL REGARDLESS OF THEIR IMMIGRATION STATUS OR THEIR PARENTS, REAL OR PERCEIVED IMMIGRATION STATUS. AND THEN ONCE THEY鈥橰E INTO SCHOOL, THERE IS ANOTHER COURT CASE CALLED LAU VERSUS NICHOLS FROM 1974 THAT REQUIRES SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE SAME EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AS ALL OTHER STUDENTS. SO THOSE TWO COURT CASES TOGETHER ARE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT CHILDREN CAN ACCESS THE CURRICULUM AND EVERYTHING THAT OTHER CHILDREN ARE LEARNING. HAVE YOU SEEN IMPACTS ON TEACHERS? BECAUSE, OF COURSE, TO A LARGE DEGREE, THEY鈥橰E GOING TO BE THE FRONT LINE OF NAVIGATING WHATEVER IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING WITH THE STUDENTS. THE RESEARCH FROM THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REALLY SHOWED THAT TEACHERS WERE VERY STRESSED AND WORRIED. AND I THINK WE鈥橵E BEEN HEARING THE SAME REPORTS FROM THE LAST 2 OR 3 MONTHS. AND THEY鈥橰E ALSO REALLY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS RELATED TO EDUCATION MIGHT BE FOR ENGLISH LEARNER AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS. HAVE THEY SEEN ACTUAL, TANGIBLE CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE SHOWING UP AT SCHOOL? WE鈥橵E DEFINITELY HEARD ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE WHERE AFTER ICE HAS BEEN IN THE COMMUNITY, THERE鈥橲 A NOTICEABLE DROP IN ATTENDANCE AMONG HISPANIC AND IMMIGRANT CHILDREN, AND IT HAS AN EFFECT ON WHETHER THEY鈥橰E ABLE TO CONCENTRATE, WHETHER THEY鈥橰E WORRIED. AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF THEY ARE IN SCHOOL, BUT THEY鈥橰E THEY鈥橰E NOT ABLE TO FOCUS. THAT鈥橲 ALSO A PROBLEM. JULIE SUGARMAN IS WITH THE MIGRATIO
How the Immigration Crackdown is Impacting Children
Julie Sugarman explains how these actions are impacting schools and children from immigrant families.
Updated: 9:45 PM CDT May 3, 2025
During his campaign, President Donald Trump promised a crackdown on immigration. In his first three months back in office, his administration announced over 175 immigration-specific executive actions, according to analysis from the Migration Policy Institute. Julie Sugarman is the institute鈥檚 associate director for K-12 education research. She joins Soledad O鈥橞rien to explain how these actions are impacting schools and children from immigrant families.
During his campaign, President Donald Trump promised a crackdown on immigration. In his first three months back in office, his administration announced over 175 immigration-specific executive actions, according to analysis from the Migration Policy Institute. Julie Sugarman is the institute鈥檚 associate director for K-12 education research. She joins Soledad O鈥橞rien to explain how these actions are impacting schools and children from immigrant families.