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Survey Finds Immigration Crackdowns Fuel Fear, Absences and Bullying in U.S. High Schools

Principals describe a climate of distress linked to stepped-up enforcement.

Law enforcement officers arrest a man as a curfew is in effect following days of protests in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. Los Angeles police said late June 10 that “mass arrests” were underway as people gathered on downtown streets after an overnight curfew went into effect following days of protests against immigration arrests. “Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda” within the designated downtown curfew area, the Los Angeles Police Department wrote on X. “Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated. Curfew is in effect.” (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • UCLA/IDEA’s nationally representative survey of 606 high school principals found 70.4% reported students from immigrant families expressing fear for their or their families’ well-being.
  • About 64% of principals said students from immigrant families missed school due to immigration policies or rhetoric, with districts reporting enrollment declines tied to enforcement activity.
  • Fifty-eight percent reported parents or guardians left the community during the school year, disrupting family stability and, in some cases, leaving students unaccounted for.
  • More than one-third reported bullying or harassment of immigrant-family students, including taunts such as “Can I see your papers?” and “Go back home.”
  • Roughly 78% said their schools created plans for possible visits by federal agents; LAUSD is distributing preparedness packets and expanding safe-passage bus routes, while ICE and DHS maintain they are not targeting schools.