What happens if ICE shows up at a Des Moines metro school
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Seven school districts around the Des Moines metro are encouraging families to update their emergency contact info and are re-upping student privacy policies after the Trump administration reversed protections against immigration enforcement in schools.
- All the districts tell Axios they fully support students and plan to help them within their legal authority.
Why it matters: Educators fear the mere possibility of an on-campus immigration raid could lead some students to skip school.
- Under a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, schools have been legally required to enroll children regardless of their immigration status.
Driving the news: The Trump administration's reversal of a long-standing policy discouraging immigration enforcement in "sensitive" areas like schools has officials nationwide prepping for new encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Between the lines: The White House told NBC News it expects enforcement operations on school grounds to be "extremely rare" and that the policy change is not a directive to go into schools.
State of play: The Des Moines school board reiterated its "sanctuary" stance in December and will not allow ICE agents access to students or their information without first going through the superintendent and legal offices.
- District officials told school staff to encourage families to update emergency contact information and provide them a resource list from Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice.
- They also gave guidance on how staff should help students if their parents are detained while they're at school.
Zoom in: West Des Moines, Norwalk and Ankeny share similar policies.
- Johnston and Dallas Center-Grimes say they are monitoring state guidance and will follow their districts' legal advice.
- Waukee says requests by law enforcement to interview students must go through a building's principal first. Urbandale only allows interviews if an administrator considers it a "necessity."
Plus: Most schools don't keep information on students' immigration status.
What they're saying: DMPS, the state's largest and most diverse school district, had not been contacted by ICE as of Tuesday afternoon, spokesperson Phil Roeder tells Axios.