PHOENIX — President Donald Trump issued a slew of executive orders in his first week in office. Those who support Trump’s policies are happy to see him follow his promises, but some of those plans, specifically his orders over immigration, are causing fear in some Arizona communities.
On Wednesday, Trump rolled back protections of raids in places considered sensitive, like churches and schools. Since then, Valley school districts like the Phoenix Union High School District and the Tempe Union High School District have sent letters home to families, reiterating their plans to keep students safe, that they welcome all students, and that they will follow laws.
“It’s like living in survival mode,” Anna told ABC15 about what it feels like to live in the Phoenix area under the Trump administration again.
Anna, who is a single mother of three US-born children, didn’t want to use her real name out of fear for her and her family. Anna is a dreamer, a DACA recipient who came to the U.S. at age 11 in 1999 because of her dad.
“He was always trying to work, to give us a better future,” she said.
She is protected under the federal policy that allows immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to be here without fear of deportation. Her status gets renewed every two years and was scheduled to be done this March, however, she decided to do it early, fearful of any changes that could be coming to the policy.
Anna tells ABC15 she's afraid it would go away with the Trump Administration. The president tried to end the program in his first term but has also expressed support for Dreamers.
She said she’s been preparing her oldest daughter just in case.
“What happens if I get detained? Who is going to take care of her and her siblings?” These are some of the scenarios they discussed if anything were to change.
Anna said she’s been having anxiety since Trump was elected and now even more so after he was inaugurated.
“I didn't think he'd do as many things as he's already done,” she said.
Within a week of Trump's presidency, the protections from raids at churches and schools are gone. Anna is also a high school teacher in a more conservative school district. She hears about the fears of her students as well.
“One of them told me, ‘Is it even worth it for me to continue school? Should I just drop out and just see what I can do for my parents?’ That was the one that broke my heart, because why would they have to think of that?” she told ABC15.
That type of sentiment is what school officials are afraid of as policies come down from the federal level. They don’t want children missing school out of fear.
“Our number one focus is learning and kids can't learn effectively if they're worried. If they're stressed from the outside forces,” said Ed Hermes, the school board president of the Osborn School District.
Hermes said his school board is thinking about adopting a resolution to help assure their community their students are safe. The Cartwright School District’s board did that in December in response to the incoming administration and Prop 314. In addition to a letter sent home to families this week, the Phoenix Union High School district board voted on a resolution in a meeting on Friday.
Paul Tighe, the executive director of Arizona School Administrators, a member-based association that works with school leaders, told ABC15 superintendents have been reaching out in need of help.
“That's what I'm hearing the most - is that leaders want guidance to be able to go give the site-based staff, because that's usually where things will happen, is at a school level. School office staff need to be well-prepared,” Tighe said.
Districts have been going to their attorneys for advice and guidance on what to do if ICE were to come to school grounds. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said it's monitoring all that’s happening, including joining other states in a lawsuit over Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship.
“We have not provided any guidance to schools at this time. Schools should consult their legal counsel with questions they may have. The Attorney General’s Office is closely monitoring the new administration’s statements about its immigration enforcement plans and will be evaluating legal recourse that may be available at the state level,” the AG’s Office provided in a statement.
Phoenix Union’s board resolution says all requests, if they were to happen, would go through the superintendent’s office.
Phil David Ortega, an attorney who works with school districts, specifically for immigration employment, said that schools do not have the immigration status of students because they cannot ask for immigration status; districts are not allowed to ask for that under a Supreme Court case ruling. When parents enroll students in school, they just need proof of residency.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Some Valley districts say they will follow laws and will not help federal officers unless there’s a warrant. Ortega advises districts to have a plan and discuss it with all their staff who may encounter law enforcement in a school setting.
“It’s important to have a plan on what steps need to be taken if ICE shows up. If they just show up out of the blue and claim they’re conducting an investigation, then they need to have some valid reason for doing so or a judicial warrant,” Ortega said. “If they have a judicial warrant, anyone in a school should contact their school attorneys to have that warrant reviewed.”
School districts are also prohibited from sharing student information under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act also known as FERPA.
“A school district called me the other day, terrified, ‘What if ICE stands on our corners or in our parking lot and asking random parents what’s your immigration status?’ Of course, any law enforcement officer in America cannot conduct an investigation without some sort of reasonable suspicion,” Ortega said.
All of this is a lot to think about, including for kids. Anna said she keeps fielding questions from her students about what will happen.
“I wish I had an answer for them. I wish I could tell them everything is going to be okay. That we're going to be okay and we're going to graduate and, ‘You guys are going to do amazing things,’… But I don't have any of those. I can't tell them any of that anymore,” Anna said.
ABC15 talked with Superintendent Tom Horne about the possibility of ICE going into schools. He doesn’t believe it will happen.
“I don't think he'll target schools. They've said they're going to be targeting criminals and that's what I'm expecting,” he told ABC15.
With all the possibilities of the unknown, it still makes people like Anna nervous and looking over her shoulder when she’s at work and living her life with her family.
“We are just human beings,” Anna said getting emotional. “We just need to learn how to co-exist, I guess.”
There is a flicker of hope for her though, knowing that there are organizations out there, such as Aliento and Lucha working to help those like her living in fear.
“As long as there's life, there's hope,” Anna said.
