Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) aims to ease fears about new federal immigration policies following President Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term on Jan. 20, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Immediately after taking office, Trump signed 10 executive orders concerning border security in accordance with his strict immigration campaign rhetoric. Many of his orders pertain to expanding the power of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One such order reversed a longstanding policy prohibiting immigration arrests in sensitive locations such as schools and churches, provoking fear among immigrant communities nationwide.
In response to Trump’s actions, protesters gathered at Los Angeles City Hall from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4 to “demand rights” for immigrants, according to ABC7. The group was primarily made of students, and the action came after a range of other demonstrations aimed at highlighting the importance of immigrants to their communities broke out across California.
LAUSD has also stood with undocumented immigrants in their community. They revived a campaign that was originally created during Trump’s first term to limit the effect of his immigration-related orders, which has been renamed “LA Unified 2025: We Are One.” The campaign is a commitment to fostering a warm and welcoming learning environment, and its website states that the district will stand in solidarity with members of their community that are “threatened by immigration enforcement.” The campaign also affirms that their schools are safe zones for those who are threatened by the new border security orders.
Many schools immediately reacted to help protect their immigrant communities. In LAUSD schools, administrators distributed red cards printed with information about rights that apply to any individual within the U.S., regardless of citizenship status, in case any student or family is contacted by ICE.
The cards are provided by Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a nationwide non-profit organization that advocates for immigrant rights. The red cards advise undocumented families not to open the door if ICE officials knock, not to speak to ICE officers, not to sign any legal documents without speaking to a lawyer and to give the card to an officer so they can read the message printed on the back.
“I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution,” the red card reads. “I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door. I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights. I choose to exercise my constitutional rights.”
Since the executive order, Marlborough alumni attending schools across the nation have received similar alerts from their schools advising their immigrant population how to proceed. Students at the University of Michigan received an email from the school informing students how to stay safe from federal immigration enforcement officials. The email highlights areas of campus that ICE officials cannot reach without permission and recommended responses to questions from officials including notifying the Division of Public Safety and Security and recording any interactions with authorities.
“As a public university, UM’s campus is largely open to the public and, as such, law enforcement officers may enter public areas without a warrant,” the email to students, faculty and staff read. “However, access is limited in areas restricted by a university-issued ID card, locked doors or monitored entryways.”
The letter continues to say:
“ICE agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to enter most private or limited access areas on campus.”
Other universities like Santa Monica College have also published statements saying they aim to maintain diverse learning communities, regardless of new immigration restrictions.
The Trump Administration said arrests will be limited to undocumented individuals with violent criminal charges, according to ABC7. However, this does not mean that other, non-criminal undocumented immigrants will not be impacted by an expansion of ICE as a federal government agency.
