Immigration Enforcement Has No Place in Our Schools

This week, our community watched incomprehensible acts by ICE and Homeland Security unfold in Minnesota. After the fatal shooting of a mother and Minneapolis resident Renée Nicole Good by ICE agents, Department of Homeland Security targeted students and staff at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. Our hearts are with her loved ones and with all those harmed and traumatized by these actions. This is a dangerous escalation that undermines the safety and stability of all our schools. We feel the repercussions here in our community. Schools must be places of learning, trust, and care—not sites of fear, surveillance, or violence. When immigration enforcement actions spill into school communities, they strike at the very foundation of public education. These actions undermine children’s ability to be present, to learn, and feel safe, and are equally disruptive to families and educators working toward a shared goal of fostering growth and learning.  

Immigrant students and families are living under constant stress, forced to make impossible decisions each day about whether it is safe to send their children to school. Parents are asked to choose between their children’s right to an education and the risk of family separation, detention, or harm. No family should have to carry this burden, and no child should be expected to learn while fearing for their own safety or the safety of those they love. 

Now and always, MAC stands with immigrant students and the broader immigrant community. Educational equity requires safety, dignity, and belonging at the very center of every child’s experience at school. When immigrant communities are targeted, in Massachusetts and beyond, the harm extends beyond individuals—it destabilizes entire school environments and sends a message that some students are less worthy of protection than others. We reject that message. Our advocacy at MAC remains rooted in the belief that all students, regardless of immigration status, deserve to learn free from intimidation and violence, and that schools must remain sanctuaries where young people are supported, not criminalized. And we know each of us can play a part in ensuring this dream is realized.  

For MAC, standing with immigrant students means zealously defending their right to education. It means demanding accountability when policies and actions create fear instead of safety. Together with you, our community, MAC will continue to advocate for schools that protect families, uphold civil rights, and foster environments where every student can learn, grow, and thrive without fear.