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Philadelphia school officials reiterated their support for immigrant students after the Trump administration rescinded protections that kept federal immigration enforcement agents from targeting schools and other “sensitive” locations.
According to Nathalie Nérée, the district’s chief of special education and diverse learners who spoke at a City Council “Trump preparedness” hearing Wednesday, officials are leaning on the school district’s 2021 sanctuary schools resolution that’s designed to protect students and families from immigration arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on or near school property.
Nérée said protocol for school staff is to immediately contact the district’s general counsel, “obtain documentation” from ICE agents if they have the necessary subpoena or warrant, and “await further direction.”
The district has also “developed a comprehensive immigrant and refugee toolkit to guide staff on handling immigration related concerns,” she said. It is also providing ongoing professional development for teachers, administrators, and other school personnel about how to respond to ICE agents, Nérée said, who added that the district is still analyzing the orders from President Donald Trump.
Shortly after taking office Monday, Trump issued an executive order declaring that sensitive spaces like schools, churches and hospitals were no longer protected from immigration enforcement actions except in cases of imminent public danger. As a result, advocates are urging school officials nationwide to clarify what they plan to do if ICE agents try to operate in or near school buildings.
Further details about the district’s plans had not been shared by spokespeople as of Wednesday. But questions about the city’s preparedness for stepped-up immigration enforcement only intensified after Mayor Cherelle Parker announced Wednesday that Amy Eusebio had resigned from her job as the head of Philadelphia’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
On Wednesday, City Council members pressed the district, noting immigration raids could begin imminently.
“How will the school district of Philadelphia respond to people knocking on school doors and trying to take children?” Councilmember Anthony Phillips asked district representatives. “How soon do you think the school district will have an adequate response to something of that nature?”
Concerns about Philadelphia schools’ response to immigration enforcement have persisted for some time. In 2021, the immigrant rights group Juntos released a survey showing that 75% of Philly educators “had no training” in how to respond if ICE came to schools.
The 2021 Philadelphia Board of Education’s sanctuary schools resolution also directed the superintendent to develop a plan within 100 days to inform and train teachers, administrators and staff how to respond to ICE, should they ask about students or enter school property.
“We have created a detailed emergency response plan to safeguard the emotional, physical and well-being of our students who may be affected by federal immigration enforcement actions,” Nérée told the City Council.
Strawberry Mansion High School Principal Jeannine Payne said that the issue of ICE agents came up last week at the district principals’ regular January meeting, where Nérée “made it clear you are not to let them in the school” without specific warrants.
But Payne said she would feel more assured if she had more information on “what is my script, what recourse do I have” to effectively deal with someone who presents themselves as a government official. “I hope there’s a plan to better equip us,” Payne said.
Erika Guadalupe Núñez, executive director of Juntos, told the City Council on Wednesday that the district has failed to follow its own policies and protect its immigrant families as called for under its 2021 sanctuary resolution.
“I’m here to address the district’s failure to fully implement sanctuary schools and the serious consequences this has for our community,” she told City Council members. “To this day, none of these proposed measures [from 2021] have been fully implemented, leaving our community even more vulnerable than we were five years ago.”
Since 2016, Philadelphia has designated itself as a sanctuary city. That means the Philadelphia Police Department does not collaborate with ICE agents in sharing information, arresting, or detaining undocumented immigrants.
At the same time, Philadelphia schools have not been totally immune from federal immigration enforcement.
In 2020, ICE agents arrested a mother outside of her child’s South Philly school. And in 2023 a school principal threatened to have a student and his family deported. The school district ultimately entered into a settlement regarding the principal’s actions and promised to provide more staff training.
Philly families have not necessarily been assuaged by the district’s protocols.
“There are immigrant families that have called and made [us] aware they are scared to take their children to school,” said Rosanna Matos, early learning program engagement specialist for the early childhood education advocacy group First Up.
Matos urged council members to consider protections for prekindergarten providers and child care centers which are also losing their sensitive status due to Trump’s executive order.
Sim Loh, public policy specialist with the early education group First Up, also raised concerns about how the Trump administration’s policies could exacerbate early childhood staffing challenges.
“We have educators from mixed-status families who say they might want to leave the field,” Loh told council members.
Kristina Moon, a senior attorney with the Education Law Center PA, told council members that all traditional public and charter schools “must commit to comprehensive training” about immigration policies.
“We are hearing from immigrant and LGBTQ+ students that they fear for their safety and worry their schools will not protect them,” Moon said.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.
