What can you do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) comes to your school? Many American educators are concerned about recent policy changes in the U.S. that make it easier to locate, take into custody, and deport immigrant and refugee students and their families. Since 2011, it was ICE policy to refrain from carrying out such activities in schools and certain other locations but on January 20, 2025, that policy was rescinded.1
I’ve read numerous articles about the impact of this policy change and Facebook posts from teachers worried about their students. So I collated the list of websites below — they all have information about you can do to support your immigrant and refugee families. If you don’t work in the U.S., this may not be especially useful to you but it might be interesting reading nevertheless.
I haven’t clicked on every link in every resource but I did read each website’s general info about these materials. I also read every website’s mission statement or About Us page to ensure it was a reputable organization.
If you’re not already familiar with it, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s Red Cards give information about your rights if approached by ICE at your school. The info’s available in 19 languages, including English, and you can print it out onto index card-sized paper to distribute to students and families.
Educator and School Resources for Supporting Immigrant Students
* AFT – American Federation of Teachers, meta list of resources
(U.S. teachers union)
Standing United to Protect the Rights of Immigrant Students and their Families: Toolkit
* AFT – American Federation of Teachers
(U.S. teachers union)
Immigration ICE Raids: Resources for Educators and Advocates
* American School Counselor Association, meta list of resources
(professional organization that support school counselors in the U.S.)
Support Immigrant Students
* Colorín Colorado
(website with info about teaching Multilingual Learners of English)
Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and Families
* Fugees Family
(non-profit organization support refugees and immigrant youth)
School Crisis Playbook: Deportation Response
* IDRA – Intercultural Development Research Association, meta list of resources
(non-profit education research and advocacy organization)
How Educators Can Support Immigrant Students
* IDRA – Intercultural Development Research Association
(non-profit education research and advocacy organization)
10 Strategies for How Schools Should Respond to Help Children Impacted by ICE Raids
* Immigrant Connections
(organization supporting immigrant students and their families)
What to Do if ICE Visits Your School
* NEA – National Education Association
(U.S. teachers union)
Guidance on Immigration Issues
* New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association
(professional organization that supports school administrators in NJ)
Primer on Undocumented Students
* Reimagining Migration
(non-profit organization that advocates for young immigrants in the U.S.)
Support for Students and Schools
* TESOL International Association
(professional organization that supports educators working in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages)
Advocacy and Policy Support
Resources about Legal Rights and Advocacy for Immigrants
* ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
(non-profit organization that defends the rights of Americans)
Know Your Rights: Immigrants’ Right
* American Immigration Council
(non-profit organization working in the field of immigration policy)
Fact Sheet on Public Education for Immigrant Students: Understanding Plyler v. Doe
* CLASP – The Center for Law and Social Policy, meta list of resources
(non-profit organization working on policies to support low-income people)
Immigration Raid Resources: How to Help Families Prepare for Immigration Raids and Other Enforcement Actions
* Immigrant Legal Resource Center
(legal organization that trains lawyers to advocate for immigrants)
Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas
* Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition
(non-profit organization that supports refugees and immigrants in MA)
Know Your Rights
* U.S. Department of Education: Protecting Student Privacy
(Federal agency responsible for supporting education in the United States)
FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Ac
Of course, your school or district may already have provided guidance to you. If it hasn’t, you should probably check with your administration before handing out any info to your students or their families to make sure it’s okay to do that.
1 Sources:
October 24, 2011 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement letter
