Immigrant group wants clear rules on ICE in Philly schools

A Latinx immigrant rights organization is asking the School District of Philadelphia to set clear rules and better train staff and teachers on restrictions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement involvement in its schools.

Juntos organizers held a news conference Monday to launch its Sanctuary Schools Campaign, calling for more training, clearer district guidelines and renewed financial investment to make schools a safe space for children regardless of their immigration status. The campaign comes a little more than a year after ICE officers detained a pregnant mother who had just dropped off her child at Eliza B. Kirkbride Elementary School last February in Philadelphia, an action that caused ripples of fear through the immigrant and refugee communities.

Community organizer Zia Kandler said Juntos conducted a yearlong survey of 350 Philadelphia school teachers, faculty and administrators about ICE interactions and restrictions in schools. Nearly 75% of the educators said they had not been trained on how to navigate ICE presence in schools and a majority said they didn’t know who to contact if an ICE agent requested information about a student or student’s family.

The launch Monday was the first step in what Juntos organizers said will be a broader campaign to make sure immigrant students and families have their language, cultural and community needs met in schools.

“Before we can talk about these broader issues of what inclusive schools should look like, about reinvestment in language needs... we have to talk about the role of ICE in schools,” Kandler said. “It’s not the fault of one teacher or administrator who doesn’t know. There need to be clear guidelines and tools on how to support these students.”

A school district spokesperson did not return a message seeking comment Monday.

The district has issued a hefty 58page immigrant and refugee toolkit to teachers and school faculty, which was updated last year to direct them to call the district’s General Counsel if an ICE agent came onto school property or they received a request for information about a student or their family.