SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Now that schools are no longer protected from immigration enforcement, many believed attendance rates could take a huge hit in San Diego, with families choosing to keep their kids home or leave the country altogether over fears of a raid on campus.
However, the numbers show it hasn't gone far enough to impact attendance, at least not in San Diego.
“We were in constant fear and anxiety. It got to a point where we couldn’t eat, sleep." That's what Anna, 29, told ABC 10News back in February after her family of five decided to move away from Chula Vista and leave the United States after daily sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their neighborhood.
ABC 10News was curious if that fear would spread and start a trend after President Trump lifted the 'sensitive locations' memorandum, "which previously would have prevented any type of immigration raid at a school site," explained Pedro Rios.
"Since that's been rescinded," he added, "there was a lot of concern about what that might mean.”
The directive is officially called Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas. Taking effect on Jan. 20, it supersedes a Biden-era policy that extended protections from immigration enforcement to certain places like schools, churches or hospitals.
Rios helps educate San Diego families on immigration and border issues through his work as the Director of the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego.
He, too, thought more families would pull their kids out of school.
“That did happen during the first week after inauguration," he said. "We're not necessarily seeing that on a general sense.”
ABC 10News followed through with several school districts, and the numbers show little or no change in daily attendance rates this February compared to last February.
The same cannot be said in Colorado, where Denver Public Schools (DPS) filed the first lawsuit over the Trump Administration's policy change.
As reported by ABC 10News' Scripps News Group affiliate Denver7, the lawsuit claims the new policy has had "negative effects on its classrooms" and caused a decline in attendance.
"There's a lot of uncertainty," Rios said. "There's a lot of fear about what happens next, especially whenever there is a threat of an immigration raid.”
At the end of January, ABC 10News met with Fernando Hernandez, the Principal of Perkins Elementary, to learn what policies a school like his has in place if ICE agents were to show up on campus.
As previously reported, Hernandez said he must do three things.
He must contact school police and legal counsel with the officer's badge number and a copy of the warrant they have in their possession. Fernandez also has to call the Superintendent's office.
"And number three, we are to contact the parents of any child whose name might appear on the warrant," Hernandez said.
Even with the protections no longer in place, ICE agents, or the Department of Homeland Security, cannot just walk onto a campus.
They still need to present a judicial warrant to conduct any enforcement actions at schools.
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