Community Patrols Rise to Protect Students Amidst Increased ICE Enforcement Fears
California communities are taking matters into their own hands, organizing volunteer patrols outside schools to reassure families and safeguard access to education following a policy shift that broadened the scope of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
A recent morning at the joint campus of Esperanza Elementary School and Korematsu Discovery Academy in East oakland bustled with activity – a crossing guard assisting families, cars dropping off students, and vendors selling conventional foods. But amidst the normalcy, a watchful presence stood out: Larisa Casillas, a parent volunteer wearing a neon green vest and scanning for approaching ICE vehicles.
Casillas is part of a growing network of parents, teachers, and neighbors across California – including in Los Angeles and San Diego – dedicated to monitoring school zones for ICE agents, walking students to school, and providing support to families living in fear of deportation. School leaders report these efforts are demonstrably improving student mental health and attendance rates, which had previously declined due to immigration anxieties.
the shift in climate stemmed from a January 2025 decision by the Trump management to rescind a policy that had previously limited immigration enforcement near sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship. “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated in a press release. “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
This policy change promptly sparked widespread concern among educators and administrators, who feared a drop in school attendance.reports quickly surfaced of attendance declines in the days following increased immigration enforcement activity.
California legislators responded by enacting laws designed to limit ICE’s reach within school grounds, mandating that agents obtain a warrant signed by a judge before entering school property and requiring schools to notify parents, staff, and students of any ICE presence on campus. However, parents like Casillas felt a more immediate, visible response was needed, leading to the formation of community patrols.
“Just the idea that they’re going to schools and targeting parents and children,it’s just extra mean-spirited,you know,going out of your way to traumatize a community; it’s just infuriating,” Casillas explained.
In Oakland, at least a dozen schools now have volunteer patrols operating before and after school hours, organized using a model called “Adopt a Corner,” originally developed by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network for monitoring areas where day laborers congregate. According to Lindsay Imai Hong,a parent involved in organizing the patrols,volunteers are trained to call the school,sound a whistle or air horn,and record any observed ICE activity,then report the incident to the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership hotline for legal support.
While Oakland hasn’t experienced the same level of intense ICE activity as cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, or Minneapolis, the organized network proved crucial in November when agents were spotted near Hoover Elementary School in West Oakland. Dozens of community members quickly gathered at the school, offering support to students by singing children’s songs from the sidewalk.
Patrols send a powerful message of support to students. “There’s so much messaging in the media right now that makes our students and families feel like they’re not cared for and that they’re not wanted, and for our kids particularly, that there’s something wrong with them,” Mesa explained. “To see people showing up every day in support of them is just hugely crucial.”
Principals have also reported that the patrols contribute to improved attendance,as parents feel more confident sending their children to school knowing there are additional eyes watching out for their safety. “Parents were feeling more confident bringing their kids to school, knowing that there were another set of eyes keeping a lookout,” Imai Hong said. “That to me really drove home that we’re actually out here as much to protect access to education as we are here to deter ICE abductions.”
