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4w ago

Los Angeles and San Diego Districts Create Safe Zones After Off-Campus Immigration Arrests

School leaders have unveiled patrols, counseling services and rapid-response networks to address community trauma; they aim to stem attendance declines.

Teachers greet families outside Brooklyn Avenue School in Los Angeles on August 14.
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LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho speaks during a press conference at Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles on Monday, August 11.
Parents and students arrive for the first day of school at the 93th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Overview

  • Los Angeles Unified has expanded safe zones around more than 100 campuses by deploying teachers, volunteers, school police and over 1,000 central office staff for drop-off and pick-up patrols.
  • San Diego Unified added counselors, legal aid and rapid-response alerts after ICE detained a parent near Linda Vista Elementary; officials also affirmed that agents require a warrant to access school grounds.
  • Two off-campus detentions have been confirmed this week: 15-year-old Nathan Mejia was handcuffed outside Arleta High School and a parent was arrested near Linda Vista Elementary; both were released after review.
  • ICE and CBP have issued statements denying they targeted schools, insisting agents were pursuing individuals with criminal convictions in nearby vicinities, not students or parents.
  • District leaders report rising virtual enrollment and warn that enforcement fears are depressing attendance, echoing studies linking raids to sustained absenteeism.