Gainesville residents rallied Tuesday outside the Alachua County Public Schools District headquarters demanding that school officials revise guidelines they say leave immigrant students vulnerable to questioning and detention by federal agents without parental consent.
District officials say the policy complies with state and federal law.
Ethan Maia de Needell, who helps manage the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI), said the protest was organized after residents learned in February of Alachua County Public Schools’ guidelines regarding law enforcement interactions, specifically that ICE agents can interview and remove students, with or without a warrant.
“It was released, not publicly, but leaked, that the Alachua County School District released guidance to all its schools that would allow someone saying they’re ICE to detain a student without a warrant or question them without parental knowledge or consent,” he said. “Despite months of community outcry, we have received no response from the school district.”
Protestors are asking the district to follow safeguards adopted in other counties, such as requiring officers to show a judicial warrant and have school administrations verify its validity.
“We are asking the county to provide the very basic level of protection for its students,” Maia de Needell said. “It should not be up to a staff person to determine whether a warrant is legitimate or not.”
Jackie Johnson, Alachua County Public Schools spokesperson, said there are district policies that prohibit releasing student records without parental consent, a court order, or an emergency.
“It is the responsibility of administrators to interact with law enforcement officers, including those from ICE, not teachers or other staff members,” Johnson said.
According to district guidelines, administrators must request identification from law enforcement, make copies of warrants or subpoenas, and attempt to notify parents when a student is interviewed or removed. But the document also stated that federal immigration officers have “broad authority” to act with or without a warrant.
For immigrant families, that language leaves too much uncertainty, Maia de Needell said.
“We receive calls constantly of parents who are too scared to get their children to schools,” he said. “Children themselves are terrified while they’re at school because at that moment, they know there’s no protection in place for them should someone ever come.”
Leah Cohen, a parent of a child who attends an Alachua County public school, said the district’s stance has shaken her trust.
“It’s caused a lot of anxiety, not just for me, but for other families,” Cohen said. “Right now, children and parents have no idea if law enforcement or someone impersonating law enforcement might show up and demand to see the child. Schools are supposed to be safe, and right now it does not feel that way.”
Cohen said she has raised these concerns at school board meetings but has received no response.
“I feel the letters we’ve been sent by the Florida Department of Education about parental rights are disingenuous if I don’t have the right to know when ICE talks to my child,” she said.
Organizers also connected the protest to larger struggles against immigration enforcement across Florida. Marilyn Wende, a member of the Party for Socialism & Liberation, said the memo mirrors a broader federal and state push to expand ICE’s reach.
“We don’t want ICE to have access to our students,” Wende said. “Having ICE in schools creates an unsafe environment for learning. We want to make sure that anybody who takes a student out requires a warrant or parental permission.”
Wende also said community concern has intensified since news of ICE’s 287(g) agreements that allow the immigration agency to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under its direction and oversight.
“In Gainesville, those agreements are taking place at UF, Santa Fe, and local police departments,” Wende said. “It’s important the community stands together and demands ICE be kept out of schools so students have a safe environment to learn.”
Parents, students, and teachers say school district officials have avoided addressing their concerns publicly.