Denver Public Schools is suing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem over a Trump administration immigration policy allowing raids at “sensitive” locations like schools. Records show the Colorado district struggled to accommodate migrant students under the Biden administration.
The school district claimed in its Wednesday lawsuit that attendance is down “noticeably” across all DPS schools since the announcement of the new policy. DPS is asking for a temporary restraining order to prohibit such raids from taking place on school grounds while the lawsuit is being adjudicated.
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“DPS is hindered in fulfilling its mission of providing education and life services to the students who are refraining from attending DPS schools for fear of immigration enforcement actions occurring on DPS school grounds,” the lawsuit states.
The Denver K-12 district claims it has had to divert educational resources to prepare for immigration arrests, to ensure student safety and train staff on how to effectively respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents.
Denver Public Schools received a massive influx of migrant students during the Biden administration, leading to a projected $17.5 million budget shortfall. According to public records obtained by Parents Defending Education, the district struggled to accommodate the students and their families.
Numerous students were reportedly homeless, with others being housed at local hotels. The district “scrambl[ed] to find more Spanish speaking support staff,” and needed additional support for student behavioral issues as “recent conflicts between migrants from different nationalities where tensions are occurring.”
On the day of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, his administration ended a policy that prevented ICE and CBP agents from making arrests at schools, hospitals, and churches. The previous guidance was in place for over a decade.
“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on the new policy.
DPS isn’t the only district fighting back against Trump’s immigration policy. Pleasanton Unified School District in California circulated a memo to staff instructing them on how to stall U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering school buildings in late-January, first reported on by the Washington Examiner.
In addition, Arlington Public Schools in Virginia rolled out trainings for school administrators and staff ensuring that the district does not allow ICE or CBP to enter schools or remove students “without following proper legal protocols.”
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Denver Public Schools is Colorado’s largest K-12 district, Colorado’s largest district, and enrolls more than 90,000 students across 207 schools.
Under the Biden administration, DPS was taking in around 300 migrant students per week.