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Ice In Schools

Navigating an Uncertain Immigration Climate

Fear and uncertainty caused by immigration enforcement are making it harder for students to safely go to school and to concentrate on academics. More students are missing school because of fear of commuting to and from school and are experiencing stress and anxiety for themselves and loved ones. Teachers and staff are also facing extreme stress for their students and themselves, resulting in the disruption of entire school communities. 

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Schools are critical community spaces for responding to the chilling impact of immigration enforcement by ensuring:

  • Students receive the support they need to learn safely

  • School personnel are trained to protect students

  • Districts create safe, supportive communities for students, staff, and families.

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Important: You (students, families, school staff) have rights in regards to immigration enforcement. Visit our Law page for more information.

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Rapid Response Toolkits for Educators and Families

Organizations across the Commonwealth and country have stepped up to create toolkits to support school communities in organizing and responding to potential threats of ICE. These guides are created by trusted partners in Massachusetts (including some MA-CIMJE Coalition members) and elsewhere and are informed by strategies employed across the nation to respond to threats of ICE. 

The School Defense Toolkit for educators, MTA/AFT/BTU

A compilation of resources, templates, and best practices to prepare school communities for interactions with ICE. It includes strategies to build School Safety Teams, connect with local communities, and lead district policy advocacy.

The MEJA School Community Safety Toolkit for parents and caregivers, MEJA

A toolkit that contains strategies to organize wider school communities, including parents and students. It contains strategies for School Safety Teams and neighborhood School Safety Walks.

The Massachusetts Rapid Response Guide for Educators of Immigrant-origin Students,  

A compilation of resources, templates, and best practices created by MA educators, legal experts, and nonprofits to help schools navigate shifting federal immigration policies. It includes step-by-step school emergency protocols, district "Safe Zone" policy frameworks, ideas for creating culturally responsive, safe, and supportive classrooms, and a curated directory of local legal aid and family preparedness resources.

Family Preparedness Plans

Family Preparedness Plans (FPPs) are tools to ensure families plan for unexpected crises, including the detention and deportation of a family member. This includes updating emergency contacts, childcare information in the case of family separation, and more. These plans ensure that the rights of parents are respected in immigration processes.

 

School staff should ensure that families are supported to complete Family Preparedness plans by using the following strategies:

  • Establish a point person or team at your school to support families in filling out Family Preparedness packets. They should be trained and preferably speak multiple languages. 

  • Connect with local immigrant serving community organizations to increase capacity to support families and refer them to trained staff to support filling out these plans. Some ideas include a school-community partnership to create/share fliers, inform families in multiple languages about the FPP, and coordinate with teachers to connect families to trusted services. 

Family Preparedness Plan, Boston Medical Center
A free, fillable template for parents to organize caregiver, medical, school, and routine information in case they're detained or deported. It includes Massachusetts caregiver authorization forms and guidance on talking with children about possible separation.

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Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
A fillable toolkit covering childcare planning, how to find trusted immigration legal help, and know-your-rights guidance for interactions with ICE. Note: the childcare and guardianship sections are California-specific, though the know-your-rights content applies nationally. Available in English, Spanish, Farsi, Ukrainian, Russian, and Dari.

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Family Preparedness, MIRA Coalition (Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition)
A hub of Massachusetts-specific family preparedness resources, including multilingual emergency planning packets, guidance on caregiver forms, and information for parents detained by ICE. Materials are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Chinese, and Nepali, with videos and legal support contacts for building an emergency family plan.

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Supporting Immigrant Students in Schools

Many students are staying home from school due to fears of immigration enforcement. If they make it to school, mental health challenges may be impacting their ability to access education—students might be scared about family and friends being detained or deported or have experienced family and friends being detained and/or deported. Trauma-informed and culturally competent interventions are necessary to support students experiencing prolonged periods of stress and fear. 

Mental Health Supports

Fears of ICE impact entire school communities, including students, regardless of their immigration background. Utilizing a trauma informed approach to support students is necessary to create responsive and resilient school environments.

 

The following are strategies to consider to implement mental health supports in your school:

  • Create a culture that welcomes immigrant students and encourages diversity, equity and inclusion. This includes celebrating student diversity by displaying welcoming language to promote belonging and safety for immigrant students. Consider hanging representative posters and culturally inspired artwork in common spaces that affirm the school’s student body. 

  • Build relationships and connections with community organizations that work to support immigrant communities to ensure students are connected to community supports. 

  • Utilize trauma-informed strategies to speak with students about the current situation to ensure that students do not feel alone. Stress and fear around immigration enforcement are at the top of students’ minds, and addressing it can make them feel more welcome at school and able to bring their full selves to the classroom.

  • Ensure that your strategies do not single out only immigrant students, which could intensify stress. Instead, focus on impacts to the entire school community. 

 

To support immigrant students with disabilities, consider the following: 

  • Ensure students who are experiencing immigration related fears have socio-emotional and mental health supports in their IEP.

Unafraid Educators, Boston Teacher's Union

A toolkit for educators with materials to support their students in school, including inclusive signage and lesson plans. 

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Supporting Students in Crisis, Re-imagining Migration 

Guide with classroom-tested and trauma-informed strategies to support students in schools developed by a clinical psychologist. 

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Mental Health Hotlines, MA Office of the Child Advocate 

List of statewide hotlines available for all Massachusetts residents in multiple languages. Includes a suicide and crisis prevention hotline, sexual assault crisis hotline, and more.

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Immigrant Trauma-Informed Trainings, The Center for Excellence in Immigrant Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health 

The publisher of the BMC Family Preparedness Plan run trainings on immigration trauma and serving young children in mixed-status and undocumented immigrant families. 

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Toolkit for Safe and Supportive Schools for Immigrant and English Leaners, Minnesota Education Equity Partnership 

A toolkit from school leaders in Minnesota, covering a range of topics including school safety, trauma-informed practices, and immigrant student safety from bullying.   

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Books That Center Stories Detention and Deportation, I'm Your Neighbor

This organization has curated lists of books from children's pictures books to young adult books that center many types of stories of migration. They have curated lists specifically that center stories of incarceration, detention, and deportation that can be useful tools for helping students talk about and process their feelings.

If a Family Member is Detained or Deported 

The detention or deportation of a parent or family member is a catastrophic event in a student’s life. In addition to the devastating emotional loss, the student might be losing the primary caregiver or the primary breadwinner of the family, which may impact that family’s ability to remain housed, fed, and safe.  

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In the case that a student in your school is impacted by this, here are some important steps you can take to support that student:

  • Work on establishing a trusted point person at the school, which oftentimes could be a social worker, counselor, trusted teacher or other staff member. 

  • Connect the student’s family with comprehensive resources, including school-based and community-based resources. 

    • Examples of school-based resources: mental health services, counseling, school lunch programs.

    • Examples of community-based resources: legal services, food banks, housing resources, local immigrant serving organizations, and more.

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  • If possible, mobilize the community to support the student and bring attention to the detention or deportation of their family member. There have been successful efforts in Massachusetts to where strong public disapproval protected community members from being detained or led to their release from detention. Connect with your local LUCE Hub to get involved.   

LUCE Community Resource Guide: Detained Loved One, LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts

This guide provides immediate steps to locate a detained loved one, communicate with them, and support them in finding a lawyer and gathering important documents. 

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Parental Rights Guide, Women's Refugee Commission 

This toolkit provides detained and deported immigrant and undocumented parents with crucial information they need to  maintain parental rights and make well-informed decisions regarding the care and welfare of their children. It includes information on how to get a lawyer, how to stay in touch with children, and how to participate in family court or child welfare hearings.

If a Student is Detained or Deported 

Given the increase in immigration enforcement across the country, enrolled students have been detained across a variety of ages nationwide. As of summer 2026, student detentions have occurred off school property in Massachusetts.  For example, Marcelo Gomes da Silva, an 18-year-old Milford High School student, was detained by ICE in late May 2025 while driving to volleyball practice. He was released soon after due to a large public outcry over his detention. 

 

The detention of a student can have drastic impacts to a school community. Here are some steps to consider taking:

  • Help the family connect with legal and community resources.

  • A detained student may request a letter of support from their teacher to support their character for their immigration case. If the student or family asks a teacher to write a letter, the district could consider supporting the teacher and consult with the student’s immigration lawyer to write the letter.

  • District leadership could explore pathways to ensure continuity of education for that student through alternative means while the student is detained.

 

In the aftermath of a student’s interaction with ICE, consider the following recommendations:

  • If a student is experiencing trauma after being released from detention, that student might be eligible for a 504 plan or an IEP.  If a student with an IEP or 504 plan is released from detention, a Team meeting should be convened immediately to discuss support for that student. 

  • If the student is deported, district leadership could explore options to support that student in completing their school year or get their diploma through alternative means. 

  • Schools should provide trauma-informed counseling to students who have experienced family members or friends be deported or detained by ICE. Please see the Mental Health Supports section above for more information.

  • If a student has recently been released from detention, the district should consider supporting that student to access any education that they missed while in detention.

LUCE Community Resource Guide: Detained Loved One, LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts
A step-by-step guide covering the critical first actions after a loved one is detained—finding their A-number, locating them in ICE custody, and gathering key documents—along with a directory of free legal and community support organizations across Massachusetts and New England. It also includes guidance on navigating commissary, mail, and visitation once someone is in detention.

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After an Immigration Raid: Information for Schools, ColorĂ­n Colorado
A resource hub for schools supporting students and families after immigration raids, covering trauma response, meeting basic needs, and keeping emergency contact information accurate. It also links to a comprehensive guide with strategies for supporting immigrant students and staff, plus lessons learned from real school communities that have navigated enforcement events.​

Image by Matheus Ferrero
Image by Christina @ wocintechchat.com M

To ensure staff are supported, staff and district leadership might consider the following strategies: 

  • Staff and Teachers: 

    • Implement teacher support groups to create safe spaces to share concerns and offer mutual support.  

    • Connect with your local teachers union to access additional resources and information for support.

    • Request support from the district with resources that are tailored to your school community. 

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  • District leadership:

    • Acknowledge the impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) on teachers and school staff to raise awareness of the broad sweeping impacts of immigration enforcement. 

    • Provide mental health support for teachers by utilizing district and community resources.

    • Don’t assume that teachers are not impacted by the threat of ICE enforcement. Some teachers may have immigration statuses that put them at risk, or have family members who are personally impacted. 

    • Support staff initiatives to organize school communities for the purpose of responding to threats to immigrant students and staff.

Providing Social-Emotional Supports for Staff, Colorín Colorado 

Article with tips to build a supportive environment for school staff and how to help staff members manage stress and develop networks of support as they support students and families.

Supporting Educators

Educators are also experiencing the impacts of heightened immigration enforcement, and may be personally impacted as well. As front line staff, educators directly support students and collaborate with student’s families, and they require support to continue to work effectively. Educators might personally be impacted or at-risk, or have family and friends who are experiencing the impact of heightened immigration enforcement and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

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