Schools could become part of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts after the president issued an executive order giving federal immigration agencies permission to conduct arrests on school grounds.

The executive order signed on Trump’s second day in office rescinds a policy that protected schools, hospitals and other sensitive areas from immigration raids.

“This is an abuse of power and goes against the constitutional right of every child to have a public education,” said ACSA President Rafael Plascencia and ACSA Executive Director Edgar Zazueta, in a joint media statement. “Schools are meant to be safe spaces where children can learn and grow without fear. The mere threat of immigration enforcement in and around schools creates fear and anxiety, undermining the very foundations of our educational system.”

In anticipation of Trump’s plan to conduct mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, school districts across the state have been reassuring parents that California law protects a student’s right to attend school regardless of their or parent’s immigration status. Furthermore, schools do not collect citizenship information of their students.

In Los Angeles USD, the district has launched its “LA Unified 2025: We Are One/Estamos Unidos” initiative to educate students, families and staff, including by handing out “red cards” that help people assert their rights.

Many school boards have also adopted “safe haven” resolutions and other board policies dictating how they would respond to immigration enforcement requests.

However in a Jan. 21 memo, the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that state and local actors who do not comply with federal immigration enforcement will be investigated.

“This is a whole new game. This is a new playbook,” said Josh Whiteside, senior counsel with Lozano Smith, who appeared on ACSA’s Legislative Lunch Break program to discuss the executive order. “It looks like the federal government is giving direction to its prosecutors to say we are going to investigate and we are going to respond if there are school site staff that are not responding or ignoring clear directives, clear warrants that are lawfully issued from ICE agents or border patrol.”

During the Jan. 22 broadcast, Whiteside and Reg Leichty, founding partner at Foresight Law + Policy, told school leaders the latest information on federal executive orders, including another order targeting transgender people.

Educators fear that the executive order will result in families disengaging from schools, lower attendance and severe impacts to learning and social-emotional well-being.

“Some of this is personal,” Zazueta said during the broadcast, adding he would not be considered a U.S. citizen under Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. “Kids that are like us, families that have had that struggle ... it just breaks my heart what I’m hearing from some of our leaders.”

Zazueta said ACSA is focusing on its response and guidance to members. He said ACSA is also working with the governor’s office and the state Legislature to communicate the impacts executive orders will have on schools.

ACSA and F3 Law have also compiled an Immigration Enforcement and School Reference Sheet with steps site and district administrators can take when responding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on school grounds. ACSA continues to add resources on immigration and student rights to the ACSA Resource Hub at content.acsa.org/immigration.