How San Antonio’s largest school district is prepared for ICE presence

San Antonio is hyper aware of deportation efforts of President Donald Trump and his new cabinet of officials. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted around South Central Texas, from San Antonio to Austin, and one school district even reported a father was detained this week. But how is San Antonio’s largest school district preparing for the potential of federal officers storming its campuses?

As it turns out, Northside Independent School District – one of the city’s largest ISD with more than 100,000 students – has had a protocol for interacting with outside law enforcement on their campus for years. Unlike other districts who are prepping staff for potential ICE presence, Northside ISD is sticking to its existing procedures.

“No, we are not providing any additional training to staff,” an NISD spokesperson told MySA. “The local policies we are adhering to have been in place for a while in NISD and campus administrators have been reminded of the procedures.”

The protocol, which applies to all outside law enforcement, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers included, gives step-by-step guidance on what to do if a student is to be questioned, arrested or detained. The policy was issued in November of 2015.

If law enforcement presents a subpoena or warrant for a student to campus administrators, NISD policy states campus principals or other officials must immediately notify a parent by phone. If several calls are left unanswered, that administrator is required to notify the Office of Student Personnel, and a letter about the release must be sent to the child’s parent or guardian.

When it comes to questioning students on campus, the principal must verify the identity of the student and seek an explanation for the questioning and why it needs to happen at school. Again, the principal should typically make an effort to notify parents of the potential questioning by law enforcement unless an offer gives good reason not to.

The principal, or some designated representative, is also supposed to be present for any questioning from an agent or officer, according to the NISD policy. However, a law enforcement agent may dissuade the presence of a third party with a “valid objection.”

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said, during an interview with CNN in Washington, D.C., that he doesn’t believe ICE agents will be going campus to campus conducting raids at schools. However, there has been rising concerns among parents after federal agents were seen parked, uninvited, on San Antonio ISD parking lots. Fear spiked again among the SAISD community after a father was arrested off campus – another big concern for district staff who fear for mixed-status household students losing parents.

In contrast to NISD’s stance, this other large San Antonio school district has engaged staff, both administrative and classroom-facing, on how to respond to the potential presence of ICE on campuses. Though vague on what their protocol will be, San Antonio ISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino says administrators will bear the burden if an event were to happen.

“I never thought when I became a teacher, this is my 38^th year in education, that I would have to become an expert on immigration and immigration law. As well as other things, it’s just unbelievable what is being put to school districts,” San Antonio ISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino said during a San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board meeting.

Another school district has broken its silence over rising concerns of Homeland Security Administration presence on San Antonio campuses. Northeast Independent School District Superintendent Sean Maika says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents must check in at the front desk like any other law enforcement agency or visitor.

If ICE agents do show up at an NEISD campus, they’ll be required to show identification and proper documentation as to why they’re at the campus. Officials say they have experience complying with court ordered warrants and subpoenas, and they’ll handle ICE exactly the same.

“If ICE does execute a warrant at one of our campuses, we will promptly alert parents to ensure against misinformation. Please take a moment to double check your contact information,” Maika said in a public statement, reminding parents the San Antonio filed officer this week said ICE has no intention of targeting “sensitive locations” unless they are serving acting warrants.