After an Immigration Raid: Information for Schools

Find out what schools and early childhood programs need to know about supporting students and families who have been impacted by immigration raids or enforcement activity.

Mississippi Immigration Raids: Related Resources

10 Strategies Schools Can Use to Support Students After an Immigration Raid
10 Strategies for How Schools Should Respond to Help Children Impacted by ICE Raids | Bilingual infographic (Intercultural Research Development Association)
Mississippi ICE Raids: How to Help Children, Families (Jackson Free Press)
Mississippi Professional Educators

Headlines

Traumatized children and broken families: The invisible scars of the Mississippi ICE raids, one year later (Clarion Ledger)
Why massive Mississippi ICE raids took communities by surprise (PBS NewsHour)
U.S. defends secretive Mississippi ICE raids as local, state officials decry effect on children (The Washington Post)
Mississippi employers in ICE raids unlikely to be prosecuted (PBS NewsHour)
Mississippi immigration raids thrust kids into adult roles (CNN)
Families Affected by Mississippi ICE Raids Scramble to Find Support (NPR)
Citizens line up for Mississippi jobs but fear the impact of ICE raids (The Washington Post)
Their parents were taken in Mississippi immigration raids. For these kids, the trauma is just beginning (CNN)
How to pay the rent? ICE raids leave Mississippi community jobless and scared (Clarion Ledger)

Background Information

How one Mississippi community copes with influx of Hispanic students (The Hechinger Report, 2016)

What You Need to Know

When an immigration raid happens, local schools are often directly involved in:

taking care of children in the hours or days following the raid
locating known caregivers
providing both short- and long-term support for children who may have been separated from their parents
working with community partners to care for and support children impacted by the raid.

In some cases those families are reunited, but in others, the adults are detained or deported. Many families may undergo upheaval, loss of income, or periods of great stress and uncertainty.

In addition to the trauma, anxiety, and uncertainty these families will face, schools should be prepared for:

transience
impacts on basic needs (housing, food, etc.)
changes in caregiving arrangements
additional questions about protecting students in school from immigration activity.

You can learn a lot about what a community can expect from our article on Postville, IA below.

Educators of young children may wish to watch for signs of trauma that can impact healthy development and attachment. Educators of older students should be aware that the students, in addition to the stress, trauma, and anxiety that they feel, may have additional responsibilities at home (financial, caretaking for younger siblings, managing contact with detained family members, etc.).

The following information highlights what schools need to know in order to best support their students and families during these times.

How to Support Immigrant Students and Families

Our comprehensive immigration guide offers in-depth information for schools and early childhood centers:

Support for Students & Families

Topics related to the aftermath of immigration raids include the following:

Support for Staff

Crisis management can take a toll on staff. Take a look at these ideas for helping staff work together to solve problems and support each other.

You may also receive offers of assistance or support from your local community. Talk with families in the community, community leaders, and school colleagues to determine what assistance might be of most use.

Create partnerships with community organizations

The Importance of Emergency Contact Information

One of the most important things that schools and early childhood programs can do to support immigrant families is to help keep accurate emergency contact records. Educators who have experienced immigration raids in their community say that this is one of the most critical steps educators can take on behalf of immigrant families.

This step can make a significant difference in the outcome of a family’s situation where questions of legal guardianship are at stake.

Lessons Learned

Lessons from Postville: How an Immigration Raid Changed a Small Town and Its Schools

In this Q & A written for Colorín Colorado, ESL coordinator Joy Minikwu describes what students, families, and staff experienced during and after a massive immigration raid in the small town of Postville, Iowa in 2008. She also suggests steps that schools can take to prepare for immigration enforcement activity in their community.

Related Booklists for Children

Family Separation: Stories and More

These stories address difficult topics around family separation. Many relate to immigrant stories (both historic and contemporary). These books can be a powerful tool in helping children talk about their feelings and experiences during or after a separation.