Attendance in School Districts Across U.S. Drops As Migrants Pull Kids Out in Fear of ICE Apprehension

Families who once crossed the border in search for a better life are now increasingly pulling their kids out of school and rushing to leave the country as the Trump administration removes protections around vulnerable locations, like schools, in efforts to curb down immigration.

Several school districts across the country have reported a notable drop in attendance, which they are tying to migrants’ fear of going out and being apprehended by authorities, a new report by The Associated Press shows.

For instance, in the Denver Public School system, attendance districtwide fell by 3% in February compared with the same period last year, with even steeper declines of up to 4.7% at schools primarily serving immigrant newcomer students. Similar figures were also seen in March, with districtwide attendance down 1.7% and as much as 3.9% at some newcomer schools.

Likewise, data obtained by the news outlet from 15 districts across eight additional states, including Texas, Alabama, Idaho and Massachusetts, showed a resembling decline in school attendance after President Trump’s inauguration in January.

This trend is oftentimes exacerbated during weeks when there is immigration enforcement, or rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in their local communities, said Hedy Chang of the nonprofit Attendance Works, which helps schools address absenteeism.

Migrants from different nationalities are also quickly gathering documents to return home. For instance, applications for Brazilian passports from consulates in the U.S. increased 36% in March, compared to the previous year, according to The Associated Press. Birth registrations, the first step to getting a Brazilian passport for a U.S.-born child, were up 76% in April compared to the previous year.

Jose Alberto Gonzalez, a migrant from Venezuela who lived in Denver with his wife and kids, lived in Denver for two years, despite immigrating with the hopes of staying for at least a decade. On Feb. 28, Gonzalez and his family boarded a bus from Denver to El Paso, to embark on the long journey back to Venezuela.

Gonzalez and his wife first came to the U.S. in search of a better life, citing a desire for their children to get a quality education and learn English in an American school as a high priority. But as the Trump administration continues curbing down on immigration, particularly targeting Venezuelans, calling them gang members, he said he preferred to endure the rough conditions back home, where he could earn only $50 a week and where public schools operate only a few hours a day.

“I don’t want to be treated like a delinquent,” Gonzalez said in Spanish. “I’m from Venezuela and have tattoos. For him, that means I’m a criminal.”

Schools have been a rising target for the Trump administration in its efforts to curb down immigration. Most notably, the president issued a directive ending the practice in which ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents avoided “sensitive” areas— including schools, hospitals and churchs— for enforcement actions just hours after returning to office.

The administration said undocumented immigrants are overwhelming school systems and using them to hide from law enforcement, despite research showing that newcomer students bring fiscal and academic benefits to school systems.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” a Department of Homeland Security said back in January.