Colorado’s largest public school district is the first in America to sue the Trump administration over fears of ICE raids taking place on school grounds.
Denver Public Schools filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for its decision to remove a policy designating schools – and other areas, like churches – as sensitive locations, therefore restricting immigration enforcement.
The policy was enacted in 2011 under former President Barack Obama.
The school system argues that rescinding the policy has caused schools to devote time and resources to teaching students and staff how to remain safe from immigration enforcement.
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The Denver Public Schools system has sued the Trump administration for rescinding its policy restricting ICE raids from taking place on school grounds. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“DPS is hindered in fulfilling its mission of providing education and life services to the students who are refraining from attending DPS schools for fear of immigration enforcement actions occurring on DPS school grounds,” the lawsuit states, according to The Associated Press.
The school system also argued that attendance has significantly declined since the decision.
Adhering to his campaign promise to deport illegal aliens by the masses, President Donald Trump lifted the ICE-restricting policy shortly after taking office last month.
Since Jan. 20, ICE has arrested and deported thousands of people in the U.S. illegally – most of them being criminals with convictions in the U.S. or their home countries. Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan has been leading the charge and has stated repeatedly that ICE is going after “the worst, first.”
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The goal of the lawsuit is for the Trump administration to hopefully reinstate the policy banning immigration enforcement activities from taking place at schools, though no ICE raids have taken place on school grounds.
Denver Public Schools has trained staff on how to handle ICE officers if they show up at school, telling them to deny agents entry if they don’t have a warrant signed by a judge.
“Parents across Denver enroll their children in public schools believing that while at school, their children will be educated and enriched without fear the government will enforce immigration laws on those premises,” the lawsuit said, via The AP.
Denver Public Schools told staff they can deny ICE agents entry into the school if they don’t have a warrant signed by a judge. (iStock)
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The lawsuit also stated that there were more than 90,000 students in the Denver Public Schools system during the 2023-2024 school year, and approximately 4,000 were immigrants.
Denver has seen a massive population jump in recent years as the city predicts nearly 43,000 people have arrived in the area from the southern border, the lawsuit said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.