The Denver public school system (DPS) on Wednesday became the first US school district to sue the Trump administration over its policy of allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents in schools.
Colorado’s largest public school district argues in the federal lawsuit that the policy has forced schools to divert vital educational resources and caused attendance to plummet.
“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.
Last month Donald Trump lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near sensitive locations, including schools. The announcement came as the new president seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations.
The federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, says the Trump administration has not provided “good reason” for rescinding the rules nor adequately considered or addressed the fallout.
The lawsuit is an attempt to block Ice from raiding schools locally and across the country.
“Denver is standing up for its children and families and protecting the right of all children, regardless of their immigration status, to attend public schools,” Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School, said in an email to the Associated Press.
The Denver public school system serves more than 90,000 students, about 4,000 of whom are immigrants, according to the lawsuit, which cites 2023-24 school year numbers. More than half of the students are Latino.
Denver has seen an increase in migrants recently. Since 2023, about 43,000 people have arrived in the city from the US southern border, according to the lawsuit.
“Parents across Denver enroll their children in public schools believing that while at school, their children will be educated and enriched without fear the government will enforce immigration laws on those premises,” the lawsuit said.
The school system says it has had to devote a considerable amount of time and resources to adding policies that keep students safe and training faculty and staff on how to respond to people claiming they are conducting immigration enforcement at schools.
The Denver public school system also wants the DHS to publish the directive publicly, so the district can better prepare.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
The Denver public school system’s superintendent, Alex Marrero, said to the Chalkbeat Colorado website that he had heard from terrified students, parents and teachers.
“We can’t continue to function with this fear … The fact that some folks feel that [enforcement] is going to happen in our schools is just going to really cripple the way we function.”
