Trump's Immigration Raids Are Already Terrifying Miami-Dade Schools

Since Donald Trump won the presidential election last November, students across the country have been increasingly anxious about his promises of mass deportations — and what they could mean for them and their classmates.

Last week, the Trump administration issued a directive allowing immigration officials to conduct raids at schools and churches, "sensitive" places that were previously off-limits. The directive, which was in place since 2011 under the Obama and Biden administrations, prohibited ICE agents from making arrests in such places unless “absolutely necessary.”

Fear in classrooms suddenly escalated to a whole new level, only intensifying following a false alarm in which federal agents, who arrived at a Chicago elementary school last week, were initially mistaken for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

And now, amid days of nonstop roundups of undocumented immigrants in South Florida, the angst has spread to Miami-Dade County schools, which educate thousands of migrant students who may face the threat of deportation.

While it remains unclear whether or how immigration enforcement will enter local schools, Karla Hernández-Mats, president of United Teachers of Dade (UTD) union, tells New Times that anxiety has already spread among students, some of whom aren't showing up to school amid their families' fears of deportation.

She notes that because Miami-Dade schools provide free breakfast and lunch, children are not only missing out on an education but, in some cases, essential meals.

"When people are in fear and they're undocumented, they quickly go underground. And when they go underground, it limits their access to resources," Hernández-Mats says. "We know there are families that aren't even going to the shopping center and buying groceries because they're scared to go out."

Miami-Dade School district has a sizable immigrant population, with more than 20,000 students from other countries having enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. Most of these students came from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti via a Biden-era parole program that allowed migrants to live and legally work in the U.S. for two years.

Hernández-Mats notes that many children enrolled in Miami-Dade schools "don't even know that they're undocumented."

"Everybody knows an immigrant, whether they're in your family or they're your neighbor. This is something that's really impacting all communities," Hernández-Mats says. "And so, you know, students are talking about it, and this creates a lot of angst for teachers too, because our schools have always been sanctuaries."

The unease among local teachers and students intensified after immigration officers detained a Miami-Dade science teacher, she says.

Hernández-Mats says that while the teacher was "trying to do the right thing" and attend his immigration hearings, he was recently detained when he showed up to a hearing — leaving his students without a teacher.

While the teacher wasn't detained at school, she says the situation was jarring for both staff and students, the latter of whom depend on and look up to their teachers.

"It's really shocking to kids, and I'm sure they are talking about it with their parents and that's created an even greater level of anxiety for that population of students," Hernández-Mats says. "Because they're thinking, if it can happen to my teacher, it can happen to anybody in my family."

In a memo sent to Miami-Dade County School District principals earlier this week, the district explained that it was "reviewing recent changes to immigration matters" and remains "committed to maintaining a safe, welcoming, and consistent teaching and learning environments for all students and staff."

The memo also reminded teachers that student records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Meanwhile, Hernández-Mats says that UTD has been sending "Know Your Rights" cards (with information and instructions on how to respond if approached by immigration agents) to teachers, who can distribute them to students and families.

"We're telling [families] that is how they can prepare, and that we are their allies and and we deeply care about their kids, because these are our babies too," she says. "Just like in every horrible situation out there that has always come up in the news, teachers step up and they do what's right for kids."