Aurora Beacon-News - Aurora area schools prepare for possible immigration arrests as state issues guidance on how schools should respond

By Molly Morrow Aurora Beacon-News
UPDATED: January 24, 2025 at 6:01 PM CST

After the Trump administration announced on Tuesday that officers enforcing federal immigration laws could now make arrests at sensitive locations, Aurora area schools have begun to make plans in case Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection try to make arrests at their facilities.

ICE guidance restricting officers from entering sensitive locations like schools and churches dated back to 2011. Similar Customs and Border Protection guidance was made in 2013.

But now, as that guidance ends, local school districts are determining how they will respond to potential ICE encounters.

On Wednesday, the Illinois State Board of Education issued “non-regulatory guidance” for schools statewide in the event that federal agencies attempt to enforce federal immigration laws on school property.

“As leaders of public schools, we have both a legal and moral obligation to protect our students’ rights within our buildings,” State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said in a press release Thursday. “ISBE firmly believes that schools should be a safe haven for all students, where students should be able to learn without fear. We can and should do everything within our power to protect our students and their right to learn while in our care.”

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