Students, families urge Union County Public Schools to bar ICE operations on school grounds

Several students, parents and community members told the Union County Board of Education on April 1 that they want the district to adopt a policy refusing collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying raids or enforcement on school grounds would make students feel unsafe and disrupt learning.

The plea came during the board's public‑comment period. Caitlin Breeder, a mother of three, said schools should be sanctuary spaces and quoted the district’s policy language about protecting student records and providing a safe learning environment. "Schools should be places of safety and stability for every student," Breeder said, asserting that cooperation with ICE would undermine that standard.

Speakers said students at Monroe High School have staged walkouts over the issue and that some students and parents have reported intimidation by school administrators and local police when attempting to protest. Luna Portillo Delgado, a Monroe High student, told the board the school's low academic proficiency and resource shortfalls compound the problem and that students felt threatened when they tried to exercise their First Amendment rights.

Public‑health professional Dana Al Hassan and other commenters cited a recent change at the federal level, saying the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a policy memo that previously limited immigration enforcement at sensitive locations such as schools. "With the rescission of this memo, students will all be put at risk of harm in the course of raids and arrests conducted in these sensitive locations," Al Hassan said.

Several speakers asked the board to issue an explicit district policy refusing ICE operations on school property, arguing that such a statement would protect students’ access to education under Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court decision guaranteeing public school access regardless of immigration status.

Board members responded to public comment. The board chair (name not specified in the record) said the district has not received any record of ICE raids at schools locally and urged speakers to avoid spreading unverified rumors. "There is no record of anybody of any ICE coming into our schools and raiding our schools," the chair said, adding that district leaders would not impede lawful law‑enforcement work.

Several board members expressed support for students' right to protest and encouraged continued civic engagement. Other board members suggested the meeting record and public comments would inform any future action. The board did not vote on or adopt a policy on ICE cooperation during the April 1 meeting.

Ending: Speakers and students who raised the issue asked the board to act quickly; board members reiterated the district's commitment to student safety while saying there is no local record of ICE raids. The transcript shows public concern remains unresolved pending any formal district statement or policy action.