Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, “around 300,000 people have been deported,” and 65,000 have been placed in detention centers (The Guardian). Trump’s strive to run the largest mass deportation in U.S. history has created numerous domestic issues, one of the most immediate being the effect it’s having on the education system.
In August of 2025, Orange County Public Schools announced that enrollment numbers were drastically lower due to the decrease in immigrant families sending their children to school, as these families live in fear of their children being taken away from them.
Having lost nearly 7,000 students, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Micheal Armbruster made a public announcement, ensuring parents of a safe and positive environment within Orange County Schools. Despite their efforts, parents are still looking for a bigger safety guarantee. Immigration rights groups within the community demanded that the school increase communication and regulate “hate speech” on social media (Central Florida Public Media).
The intended purpose of mass deportations is to ensure public safety and enforce Immigration laws. Though ICE agents are told to “arrest people they believe are illegal aliens” without a warrant, which leads to numerous cases of legal citizens being detained or harmed (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Across the nation, teachers are witnessing their students internalize every occurrence, reporting many symptoms of depression and anxiety.
In CentroNia, a preschool in California, ICE raids have become so common that the teachers were forced to make major changes in hopes of fostering the safest environment for their students. As mentioned in The LA Times, one teacher explains they had to cease any time at “nearby parks, libraries, and playgrounds.” The school also had to cancel it’s Hispanic Heritage Month parade due to the fear within the community.
Just like Florida, California educators have documented absences at an abnormal level. This environment of anxiety directly affects the students. The Independent reports that many Democratic senators have spoken up against this, stating that the police presence in and near schools has created “chaos and trauma in the lives of children regardless of their immigration status.”
There is a clear movement within communities to create safer environments for young students and teachers. However, the decreasing attendance and sense of worry will most likely increase as mass deportations continue.
