Los Angeles students returned to classrooms this month amid heightened fears of immigration enforcement, following a summer of raids and several high-profile arrests near campuses. Parents, teachers, and community members are now patrolling schools across the city in an effort to protect students and reassure families.
The concern stems from recent incidents in which federal immigration agents detained students near schools. On August 8, agents arrested 18-year-old Reseda Charter High School student Benjamin Guerrero Cruz while he was walking his dog. Two days later, Border Patrol agents pulled a 15-year-old boy with disabilities from a car outside Arleta High School, handcuffing him before acknowledging it was a case of mistaken identity.
“These incidents traumatize our communities; they cannot repeat themselves,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. Carvalho has asked federal authorities to stay at least two blocks away from campuses during school hours and announced new bus routes and family preparedness packets that include know-your-rights information and emergency contacts.
The district has also implemented a three-tier system of protection. About 100 schools considered most at risk because of their large immigrant populations now have official watch zones. Teachers’ union members are observing perimeters before and after classes, and grassroots groups have organized community patrols at multiple campuses.
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which represents educators in the district, has also taken a visible role. On the first day of classes, teachers greeted students at campuses including Venice High School, holding signs that read “Everyone Is Welcome Here” and “This Is a Safe Space for Immigrants.” Union leaders say the goal is to reassure students and families and to signal that teachers are ready to support community patrols where needed.
In Westlake, Koreatown, South Park, and Green Meadows, volunteers in safety vests circle schools during drop-off, scanning for suspicious vehicles and distributing flyers with hotline numbers. “We want to make sure everyone feels like they’re protected and we’re watching,” said Ingrid Villeda, a teacher and community coordinator at 93rd Street Elementary School. On the city’s Westside, patrols are also operating through West Los Respuesta Rápida, where parents and community members are monitoring schools in Culver City, Mar Vista, Santa Monica, Venice and Sawtelle.
Despite the measures, educators and district officials say the fear is having an impact. Attendance on the first day of classes was down in some schools, and virtual enrollment is up 7 percent compared with last year. A Stanford University study earlier this year found that immigration raids in California’s Central Valley coincided with a 22 percent increase in student absences.
Students say the anxiety overshadows what should be a routine start of the school year. Community patrols, along with UTLA’s presence at campuses, are expected to continue as the school year progresses. Organizers in several neighborhoods say they are prepared to expand if enforcement activity increases.