California Stops Homeland Security Agents Entering Elementary Schools

Federal immigration authorities were refused entry to two elementary schools in Los Angeles this week, school officials said.

According to officials, the agents arrived unannounced and attempted to contact five undocumented students.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.

Why It Matters

The incident marks the first reported attempt by federal authorities to enter an L.A. public school amid President Donald Trump’s hard-line crackdown.

Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, thousands of migrants have been arrested. Under the administration, ICE has gained expanded powers in enforcement, including the right to conduct raids in schools and other sensitive locations. Critics say such raids sow fear in vulnerable communities.

What To Know

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told reporters on Thursday that the agents said they were visiting to check on the students’ well-being.

School officials said the agents tried to deceive staff by saying the families had authorized the contact.

Around 10 a.m. on Monday, four individuals arrived at Russell Elementary on Firestone Boulevard and identified themselves as agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Carvalho said at the news conference.

The agents, who spoke with the principal, requested to speak with four students in first to sixth grade. The principal refused their request, Carvalho said.

Two hours later, a similar situation unfolded at Lillian Street Elementary, where agents attempted to contact a sixth grader. The principal denied them access to the student. Both schools are in the Florence-Graham neighborhood of South Los Angeles.

“They declared to the principals in both instances that the caretakers of these students have authorized them to go to the school,” Carvalho said. “We have confirmed that that is a falsehood. We’ve spoken with the caretakers of these children, in some cases parents, and they deny any interactions, deny providing authorization for these individuals to have any contact with these children at the school.”

“I’m still mystified as to how a first, second, third, fourth or sixth grader would pose any type of risk to the national security of our nation that would require Homeland Security to deploy its agents to two elementary schools,” he continued.

Carvalho said the agents were not in uniform and appeared hesitant to show their official identification, doing so only briefly when the principals attempted to note their details. He added that the district had not been able to verify whether they were indeed affiliated with Homeland Security.

The superintendent said that when the agents met the principal of Russell, they said they were not ICE but Homeland Security agents.

“At Lillian Elementary School, three individuals who also identified themselves after the principal asked for badges as Homeland Security, wanting to clarify that they were not ICE,” he said.

DHS officials said in a statement that the visits were not connected to immigration enforcement but were “wellness checks” on the children involved.

California Democrats have expressed outrage over the incident.

What People Are Saying

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told the Los Angeles Times: “These HSI officers were at these schools conducting wellness checks on children who arrived unaccompanied at the border. DHS is leading efforts to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited, abused, and sex trafficked.”

Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said at a news conference on Thursday: “No federal agency has the authority, short of a judicial warrant, that means the equivalent of a criminal subpoena to enter our schools. We will protect our kids. We will educate our kids.

“We will inspire our kids. We will not allow abuse, intimidation of our children or our workforce. Schools are places for learning. Schools are places for understanding. Schools are places for instruction. Schools are not places of fear.”

Democratic Senators Alex Padilla, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff, both from California, said in a joint statement: “We are outraged that Homeland Security agents attempted to conduct immigration enforcement activities targeting students at two elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) earlier this week. ICE and immigration enforcement do not belong in schools—let alone elementary schools—and have no business targeting young children. Schools are a place of learning where children deserve to feel safe and supported, not terrified of being arrested regardless of their immigration status or that of their family members.

“The principals and staff did the right thing by following LAUSD protocol and asking the agents to produce a signed warrant, which the agents could not do, stopping the agents in their tracks. Our offices have demanded to speak with ICE for an explanation and will continue to fight against harmful and dangerous immigration enforcement actions and policies that threaten the health and well-being of our children, schools, and communities.”

Lillian Street Elementary said in a statement to parents on Monday: “We wanted to make you aware that two individuals who identified themselves as representatives of a federal agency came to the main office earlier today. After following District protocols, school administrators denied entry to the individuals, and they left. We want to reaffirm the District’s unwavering commitment to the well-being and education of all students.”

What Happens Next

The administration, which is expected to continue its immigration enforcement operations, is likely to face increased scrutiny and pushback from local authorities, particularly in schools.