Statement on the Recent Federal Immigration Enforcement Activity
in Urban Communities

  by

Ray Hart, Executive Director

Council of the Great City Schools

 

In The Enduring Promise of America’s Great City Schools, Dr. Michael Casserly wrote of the extraordinary capacity of urban public school systems to serve children and families amid persistent social and economic challenges. That promise, however, is profoundly threatened when federal actions introduce fear, instability, and trauma into the daily lives of children and the schools that serve them.

Over the past few weeks, children and families in Minneapolis and St. Paul have experienced sustained disruption due to intensified federal immigration enforcement and related actions in urban communities. These activities have had a direct and harmful impact on children—many of whom have been afraid to leave their homes, attend school, access meals, or seek essential services. School leaders and educators have reported increased absenteeism, heightened anxiety among students, and growing food and housing insecurity for families who were already struggling with significant challenges.

These experiences are not isolated. Similar impacts have been reported in urban centers across the nation, including Los Angeles, Portland, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Durham, to name a few. In each case, the consequences fall most heavily on children—disrupting learning, inflicting trauma, and destabilizing communities that schools work every day to support.

Children should never fear that attending school could place their families at risk, nor should educators be forced to operate in an environment of uncertainty and trauma created by government actions beyond their control. When enforcement activities target neighborhoods and public spaces in ways that destabilize families and communities, they directly interfere with the educational mission of schools and the well-being of children.

The Council of the Great City Schools calls on federal leaders—including the Trump Administration, Congress, and the courts—to immediately halt actions that endanger children, disrupt schooling, and erode trust in public institutions. Our nation has a responsibility to ensure that policies are carried out in a manner that upholds human rights and dignity, protects children, and preserves schools as places of safety, stability, and opportunity.

America’s great city schools stand ready to educate and support every child. This important work must not be undermined by actions that instill fear, divide families, and place children in harm’s way.