California’s legislative body has approved a measure requiring educational institutions to alert families and educators if immigration enforcement is present on school premises. This action is in response to the ongoing aggressive immigration policies of the Trump administration. The affected schools, ranging from K-12 institutions to universities and community colleges, must notify students, staff, and faculty of such instances, akin to how they handle other campus emergencies. As of now, the bill awaits Gavin Newsom’s signature by October 12th to become law and hold until 2031.
Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, who introduced the legislation, emphasized its importance amid student returns to school. The bill aims to ensure students’ safety amid escalating deportations, raids, and unwanted presence of immigration authorities on school grounds. Pérez noted that the legislation could help school communities make informed choices regarding their safety and that of their families.
In reaction to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has caused widespread community disruption, lawmakers further proposed measures to limit immigration authorities’ access to nonpublic areas of schools and hospitals without a warrant. Democratic Assembly member Al Muratsuchi stated that learning is compromised unless students feel secure and that there has traditionally been bipartisan support to keep educational institutions free of immigration enforcement activities. The bill has the endorsement of Tony Thurmond, who oversees California’s public school system.
With the start of the school year, Los Angeles unified school officials had previously advised against enforcement activities during school hours. The district, the second-largest in the nation, includes approximately 30,000 immigrant students, an estimated quarter of whom are undocumented, according to the teachers’ union. In August, there was widespread condemnation after federal agents detained a 15-year-old boy at gunpoint outside a Los Angeles high school.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/02/california-immigration-enforcement-schools-families
