State Superintendent Tony Thurmond sponsored legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez on Dec. 16. Senate Bill 48 aims at keeping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents off school campuses to protect California schools from a drop-off in attendance or funding in response to federal threats of mass deportations.
The bill would prohibit school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and their personnel from granting ICE officers or other federal authorities to access campuses without a judicial warrant, prohibit police cooperation with any immigration efforts within a one-mile radius of a school, and prohibit the sharing of any information on students, families, their households, or school employees with ICE officers.
“This bill seeks to push back against threats of deportation that create fear in immigrant families. These practices suppress school attendance and rob schools of needed revenue,” said Thurmond in a press release. “I am honored to partner with bill author State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, other legislators, and immigrant rights groups to support our families and keep ICE off our school campuses—period.”
Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) said that all California children deserve safe school environments that prioritize student learning regardless of immigration status.
“As Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, I’m proud to be partnering with Superintendent Tony Thurmond to author this important legislation, which will prevent disruptions to student learning, keep children in school, and prevent families from being torn apart,” she said.
According to the press release, research has shown that immigration enforcement around schools has a chilling effect on school attendance for students from impacted communities, regardless of students’ citizenship or immigration status, and that it is reasonable to expect such adverse impacts on immigrant communities throughout California. In California, 93% of children who have one or more undocumented parents are U.S. citizens. Additionally, all chil¬\dren in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have a right to a free and appropriate public education.
