As rumors of ICE activity spread around the Bay Area, Palo Alto High School students and staff are grappling with safety concerns.
On Jan. 26, President Donald Trump and his administration launched nationwide immigration enforcement allowing federal immigration authorities to conduct raids.
According to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, these raids intend to find and arrest people believed to be violating immigration laws.
There have been no confirmed ICE sightings in Palo Alto or East Palo Alto, but there have been confirmed ICE sightings in other parts of the Bay Area like San Jose.
Because of this, many are fearful for their safety. In addition, the influx of rumors and false reports over the past month has sparked concern about what might happen next.
“It [the ICE raids] impacted my education because at times I’ll be thinking about it and I’m not really focusing as much on school,” an anonymous Paly student said. “Being in an immigrant family is scary and I’ve just been feeling a little worried. ”
On Feb. 11, members of the Palo Alto Board of Education voted to make information on immigration procedures more accessible on the district website and send it to families.
A teacher at Paly who wishes to stay anonymous said she is worried about the potential impact of ICE’s presence on students’ well-being.
“A school is supposed to be a safe space … a place of reprieve for certain students to escape whatever realities they have to face at home, and having the added worry of ICE could show up on our campus is going to be stressful, she said.”
As of Feb. 11, PAUSD has not released a statement to students about the possible presence of ICE.
While the County of Santa Clara urged residents not to spread rumors about ICE sightings, without any communication, immigrant students may feel unprotected.
