With the inauguration of a new administration on January 20th came a wave of executive orders and government appointments, leaving many with feelings of uncertainty about the impending changes they will bring. A notable example of this is the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Acting Department Secretary, Benjamine Huffman issuing a directive rescinding the Biden Administration’s previous guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that kept these law enforcement agents from being in or near “sensitive” areas. According to a statement from a DHS spokesperson, “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.” While this does not necessarily mean that ICE agents will just be able to enter schools without warrants (here’s a link to a fact check on the warrants still needed for agents to enter schools), the policy change could still mean increased risk for students and families.
Many grow up believing that classrooms are places of learning, discovery, and opportunity. Yet, for my generation, they have often felt anything but secure. I remember the first time I had an active shooter drill in high school. In the wake of the Parkland school shooting in 2018, this drill did not feel like a “just in case,” but instead a “what to do when.” We locked the doors, barricaded the doors and windows, and hid in closets and behind desks as my principal went from classroom to classroom pounding on doors and ensuring he couldn’t get in. It was a lesson not just in safety, but in the unsettling reality that school was not the safe haven we might have thought it was.Â
For immigrant students, this fear takes on another form. While ICE agents still need to obtain certain warrants to enter most school buildings, the rollback of protections for these so-called sensitive areas heightens the risks for undocumented students and families. Many of these students already live with the constant worry that a knock on their door could change their lives forever, but now even school – a place that should offer safety and stability – is shadowed by uncertainty. This looming threat adds another source of anxiety, not only for students and their families but also for teachers who are entrusted with their well-being. Â
For those who grew up with lockdown drills and increased security measures, fear in schools isn’t new. Students have spent years adapting to the possibility of violence and preparing for what to do in the worst-case scenario. However, instead of working to make schools safer and addressing the root causes of these issues, new policies are amplifying the situation and introducing additional risks for students. From active shooter drills to immigration raids, the walls that should protect students now feel paper-thin. Students are forced to navigate these challenges while trying to focus on their education in classrooms that seem to be increasingly unsafe.Â
Education is meant to be a path forward, but for too many students today, it’s filled with additional roadblocks of fear. Until we consider the weight of these policies and their impacts on students, classrooms will remain places of anxiety rather than opportunity. And I think that should concern us all.