At least 23 states are considering new legislation to govern federal immigration enforcement on school grounds, with 35 of 40 proposals aimed at limiting ICE access to K-12 campuses.
Only one proposal, introduced in Mississippi, would require schools to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The legislative push follows President Trump's decision at the start of his second term to rescind a policy that had largely restricted ICE operations in schools and other sensitive locations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said at the time: "Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest."
School leaders have reported that Trump's immigration policies have contributed to enrollment drops in some areas as families worry about enforcement actions.
DHS maintains that ICE does not raid or target schools specifically. Yet ICE agents appeared on school grounds multiple times last academic year, prompting varied responses from education leaders.
In Laredo, Texas, a border community that is 94 percent Hispanic, ICE agents near schools are routine. Andrea Garza, a school leader with the United Independent School District, said her district denies ICE entry without a warrant or subpoena.
"We serve 'in loco parentis' for students," Garza said, meaning the school acts "in place of a parent" when student rights are at stake. She characterized the policy not as interfering with the law but as "verifying that we are all following the law."
Texas state law prohibits local entities, including campus police, from obstructing federal immigration enforcement. But no state laws directly address how much access ICE should have in K-12 schools, leaving districts to set their own protocols.
