School Police in Los Angeles said safety boundaries will be set up around campus and school events (school events including graduation) to keep federal immigration agents away from students, employees and families.
Announcement by Supt. Alberto Carvalho, including one at Home Depot, adjacent to Huntington Park High School on Monday amid widespread immigrant raids in Los Angeles – an isolated but violent downtown set fire to self-driving Waymo cars and threw rocks and fireworks after a clash between police and protesters.
The move is one of the most notable actions taken by the second largest school district in the country, whose leaders said at a press conference Monday that they could deploy their own police to protect students and their families, allowing the school year to enjoy the many graduation ceremonies that end on Tuesday.
“We stand strong on the right side of the law,” Carvalho said. “Every student in our community, every student across the country has a constitutional right to high quality, free public education, with no threat. Regardless of the state of immigration, our students have the right to free meals in schools. All children have the right to counseling, socially emotional support and spiritual support.”
President Trump overturned the Biden administration’s policy, which largely exempts potentially sensitive areas such as schools and immigration enforcement churches. Federal agents have not been targeting local schools these days either. However, in April, federal agents were kicked out by staff from two elementary schools.
Carvalho did not rule out the possibility of a standoff involving school police if federal police officers attempted to enroll in schools such as schools or graduations without a judicial warrant.
“I think that’s a ridiculous state,” Carvalho said. “But again, we’ve seen the stupid behavior recently adopted by this administration. We’re prepared for everything,” Carvalho said.
“I have a professional and moral responsibility to protect children, protect the workforce, ensure sanctity, protection of the buildings and expand,” Carvalho said. “It means transporting school buses, children to schools and graduations. There’s nothing to stop it. And I’ll work to protect my 5, 11, 11, or even my alumni soon.”
However, there are restrictions. The authorities admitted that officers are not permitted to legally interfere if they arrive at a judicial warrant or a relatively rare warrant. Not only the police at schools, but staff at all schools are trained in how to interact with immigration agents, particularly to limit access to campuses and children.
Advocates of Trump’s goals counter that civil servants should help support immigration laws for people who are not legally permitted to live in the United States.
In the case of the school system, immigrant anger gave the cold during graduation season, a normal time for celebrations. Federal actions have been detailed, relevant and sometimes spurred a fierce response from district leadership.
“When I saw the horizon from my office this morning, I saw a grey cloud above Los Angeles,” Carvalho said as he opened his remarks. “These grey clouds can mean a lot to many people. I interpreted them as clouds of injustice, clouds of fear, blackmail – clouds that try to scare our best in the dark horns.”
Approximately 100 high school graduations and the pinnacle of the end of the year are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with graduation events continuing until June 16th.
Although LA School Police lacks talent to surround all campuses and school event venues, when civil servants learn about potential immigration enforcement activities, they plan to place one police car in front of the campus and another around the site.
At graduation ceremonies, outdoor lines for entry into the venue will be kept to a minimum. And the family can stay inside as long as the agent needs to launch an attack outside or near the neighborhood.
If possible, virtual options will be provided for families to watch their graduation online.
Carvalho said: “We spoke to parents who told me that their daughter was the first family to graduate from high school, and they are not going to witness it because they are afraid that their graduation location will be targeted.
Carvalho said there have been confirmations of families in six to seven school districts affected by the attacks and arrests so far. In one case, the student was taken into custody with his father and transported from Los Angeles to Texas. The district has not identified students or schools due to privacy concerns.
A fourth-grader and his 50-year-old father attending Torrance Elementary School in a nearby school district will be detained May 29 by US immigrants and customs enforcement agencies and will be deported soon, federal officials said.
According to the federal government, father and son illegally entered the United States in 2021.
The director also pointed out the story of a student strike. He said the right to protest among students to protest is respected, but he asked his families to urge their children to stay on campus for safety reasons.
Carvalho also advised families to update their contact information and emergency information with the school. Additionally, if a caregiver is detained, the family must prepare a backup plan.
The Summer School will start on June 17th and run until July 16th. Carvalho said more campuses will be opened for classes to minimize travel from home to school, and more school-funded transport will be provided.
District leaders are frequently cautious in terms of the Trump administration. However, little attention was paid on Monday.
School Board member Nick Melboyne demanded the removal of the National Guard and compared Trump’s forced response in Los Angeles to the delayed halt of a mob who tried to prevent a peaceful transfer of power from Trump on January 6, 2021, to President Joe Biden.
Board member Rocio Rivas said there have been “just a few names” attacks in MacArthur Park, Lincoln Heights, Pico Union and Cypress Park over the past few days.
“Our family is now forced to look over their shoulders on the way to school and their children’s graduation and live in fear. This is simply wrong. It’s very, very cruel,” Rivas said.
Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said: “This is not about keeping our community safe. It’s about backward beliefs about who belongs, who should be pushed out, locked up and shut up.”
School Board President Scott Schmerelson reached out to a broader perspective.
“This should be the happiest time for our children and their parents, and it’s a very sad time, but we need to remember that our children have achieved a lot too,” Schmerelson said. “They are graduating and are trying to maintain a positive attitude.”
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