NYC migrant families keep kids home from school amid ICE fears
The Brief
There are some migrant families who are keeping their kids home from schools out of fear that the federal immigration agents will appear.
President Trump lifted restrictions on migrant arrests, allowing ICE and CBP to operate in sensitive locations like schools and churches, reversing decade-old guidance.
ICE has not visited any New York City public schools.
NEW YORK CITY - Some migrant families say they are keeping their kids home from schools out of fear that the federal immigration agents could show up.
This comes after President Donald Trump rescinded a policy prohibiting ICE from making arrests at sensitive locations.
What they're saying
FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso spoke to a Venezuelan mother who has been in the country for less than a year.
She said that she is sending her kids to school, but when they leave her, she is heartbroken because she doesn't know what is going to happen throughout the day.
She told FOX 5 that she is sending them to school because she wants them to live a "normal" life.
FOX 5 has reached out to the Department of Education asking if they have seen a decrease in migrant students attending school.
"NYC Public Schools does not ask families to disclose, nor do we track, immigration status or country of origin," a spokesperson for NYC Public Schools said in a statement. "With that in mind, we have not seen any significant shifts in attendance rates in the last four school days. However, we continue to closely monitor our data, and coordinate support in partnership with our superintendents and their teams based on emerging needs."
FOX 5 also spoke with Safe Passage Project, a nonprofit legal services organization that represents youth who are facing removal or deportation proceedings.
They say their clients are afraid and concerned. However, they are trying to calm their fears by telling them there are laws in place that ICE needs to follow.
Alexandra Rizio, the managing attorney for policy and partnerships, said school children are protected from arrest and detention on school grounds by a number of interlocking city and state laws and policies.
"Under New York City, state and even federal law, schools can't release information, including immigration status, about their students, without parental consent or a subpoena. Arrests by immigration authorities can only be executed in schools when accompanied by a judicial warrant," Rizio said.
What we know
ICE has not visited any New York City public schools.
However, on Friday, FOX 5 heard from Chicago public school officials who said federal agents showed up to one of their elementary schools, but the school staff did not let them in.
New York City school officials discussed what would happen if ICE visited public schools a few days ago. At the meeting, officials said it not only affects learning for the older kids, but also the little ones.
"I spoke to a first grade teacher last week, and she shared with me the story of a little girl in her class. A 6-year-old, who every day since the beginning of 2025, has come up to her during the day and asked to be sent to the nurse's office. She wants to go to the nurse's office because she wants to be sent home," Katherine Kurjakovic, UFT English Language Learner specialist said. "She wants to be sent home because she isn't sure if by the end of the day she will be able to be united with her mother."
What we don't know
We don't know if ICE is planning on visiting any of the New York City public schools.
The backstory
President Donald Trump has lifted restrictions on migrants, allowing them to be arrested at sensitive locations such as schools and churches.
The move reverses guidance that for over a decade has restricted two key federal immigration agencies – Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection – from carrying out immigration enforcement in sensitive locations.
The Source
This article contains information from Fox News Digital, the Associated Press and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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