Community speakers urge Alachua school board to require judicial warrants before ICE interviews or removals

Dozens of parents, teachers and community members told the School Board of Alachua County on Feb. 18 that district guidance allowing immigration enforcement to interview or remove students without presenting a judicial warrant is causing fear, absenteeism and trauma for students.

"There is no such thing as other people's children," said Michelle Noll, a parent, describing how her 10-year-old daughter returned from school asking, "What is ICE?" and then cried nightly for a week out of fear. "I am here tonight to ask our superintendent and school board what would be our next steps to train our teachers and make sure school administrators know what to do to protect our students physically and emotionally," she said.

Speakers described children who are frightened to attend school, teachers who are unsure how to respond when an officer requests a student, and legal experts who urged the board to require judicial warrants before school staff permit interviews or removals. "The only way that our teachers can be assured they are fulfilling their requirements under the law is by requesting that officers present a judicial warrant," said Alejandra Contreras, who identified herself as an attorney and a member of local civic organizations.

Multiple speakers cited constitutional protections. Julie Crosby, who described herself as a taxpayer and grandparent, pointed to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and said school visitors policy should not be interpreted to allow a federal agent to remove a child without a warrant. "Though policy directs student records not be shared with agents without a judicial warrant, the administrator may hand over the actual child themselves," Crosby said.

Other speakers urged the board to provide age-appropriate training for students and staff about rights and to treat campus spaces as protected private spaces unless a judicial warrant is presented. Rafael Sorosano, a University of Florida professor, invoked Plyler v. Doe — the U.S. Supreme Court decision that guarantees access to K–12 public education regardless of immigration status — and said the district must not revert to practices that drive families into the shadows.

Board members did not vote on the issue during the meeting. Several speakers asked that the topic be placed on a future agenda for formal consideration and urged the superintendent to produce clear communications and training for staff, families and students. Leah Cohen, a Williams Elementary parent, asked the board to "put this ICE protocol topic on the next agenda urgently." The board did not set a formal date for that item during the Feb. 18 meeting.

Why it matters: Speakers and legal observers said the guidance is already affecting attendance and student well-being. Several people reported students staying home out of fear, and union and teacher speakers tied the issue to broader concerns about staff capacity and training. Community advocates said requiring a judicial warrant before permitting enforcement access would align the district with practices adopted by other school systems and reduce legal and emotional risk for students.

The board did not adopt any new policy or take formal action on the matter at the Feb. 18 meeting. Officials in the meeting asked staff to collect relevant information and several board members said they would seek more legal and procedural details before the next meeting.