In response to the Trump administration’s new policies cracking down on illegal immigration, the Phoenix Union High School District (PUHSD) issued a resolution earlier this week declaring it will not comply.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a directive on January 21 rescinding a policy implemented in 2011 under the Obama administration that prevented illegal immigration raids at or near schools or other “sensitive locations” unless an “exigent circumstance” exists, such as a national security threat. PUHSD’s resolution stated that the school district is a “Safe Zone,” so the school can deny ICE officials information and entrance onto the premises.
The resolution claimed federal immigration law enforcement activities “harmfully disrupt the learning environment.” It said, “[I]t continues to be the policy of PXU not to allow any individual or organization to enter a school site if the educational setting would be disrupted by that visit…”
The resolution said ICE must follow Governing Board Policy JIH and Governing Board Regulation JR-R. They require individuals and entities to request permission from the district first to access the campus and individuals.
Although the laws in this area are changing, the district insisted on declaring what the law is. “Students have the constitutional right to attend school regardless of their or their family member(s) immigration status,” the resolution said.
The district sent letters to parents, promising that workshops on “Know Your Rights” would be held soon. It gave parents the option of having their children attend school remotely. It seemed to stoke families’ fears by stating, “We know there is fear and uncertainty in our community.”
However, State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne said during an interview with Arizona’s Family, “ICE is not going to invade the school and go after their children. … They’re going after criminals and if they go after people who aren’t criminals it will be the parents, not the children.”
Horne said the schools must comply with ICE. “If it’s an area of federal jurisdiction, like border security, the Constitution gives them supremacy over the state. The state can’t resist what the federal government does,” he said.
Tempe Union High School District sent a similar letter to parents.
PUHSD may find itself in the crosshairs of the Trump administration for not cooperating. The DOJ issued a memo on January 21 directing federal prosecutors to investigate local jurisdictions it believes are impeding deportation plans outlined by the new Trump administration.
“[L]aws and actions that threaten to impede Executive Branch immigration initiatives, including by prohibiting disclosures of information to federal authorities engaged in immigration-enforcement activities, threaten public safety and national security,” the memo said. It instructed prosecutors to “investigate incidents involving … misconduct for potential prosecution,” citing “resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests…”
The Phoenix division of DEA posted on X on Sunday alongside photos of agents, “TODAY in Arizona, #DEAPHOENIXDiv, along with our Department of Justice partners, is assisting our DHS partners with their immigration efforts. @DHSgov @TheJusticeDept @HSIArizona @DEAHQ”
TODAY in Arizona, #DEAPHOENIXDiv, along with our Department of Justice partners, is assisting our DHS partners with their immigration efforts. @DHSgov @TheJusticeDept @HSIArizona @DEAHQ pic.twitter.com/H6G6yvZlnx
— DEAPhoenix (@DEAPHOENIXDiv) January 26, 2025
PUHSD has a lengthy page on its website devoted to illegal immigration. It explains how the school district will not cooperate with ICE or Prop. 314, using carefully worded language.
The Cartwright Elementary School District’s Governing Board adopted a similar policy, partially in response to a new law passed by voters cracking down on illegal immigration, Proposition 314. The courts put the law on hold, but the courts are analyzing a similar law enacted in Texas for constitutionality.
After Trump was elected for the first time in 2016, schools across the country adopted safe zones, fearful he would change Obama’s policy. At the time, Trump only made small changes, allowing some arrests at courthouses.
Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration includes ending the CBP One mobile app, which allowed illegal immigrants to set up appointments to be escorted over the border, where they would then be flown or bused to locations around the country instead of being deported. He suspended the refugee program, which wasn’t enforced to require temporary refugees to return to their home countries, and pushed for greater cooperation between ICE and local and state governments.
PUHSD has come under fire in recent years for issuing a mask mandate that appeared to violate state law, mandating the COVID-19 vaccine to participate in sports and other school activities,
Other school districts around the country, including in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles, have also vowed to resist Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
They WILL comply with federal law or be charged with aiding and abetting the criminal invasion of the United States.