Community Teams Watch for Immigration Agents Near Schools: 2025 Update

Teachers, parents, and volunteers in several U.S. cities are forming informal patrols around schools in 2025, saying they want to warn families when immigration agents appear nearby and reduce fear among children whose relatives could be detained by ICE or Border Patrol on the way to or from class.

In San Diego, the effort has grown especially fast after several parents were detained near campuses earlier this year. Community members now walk blocks around schools such as Lincoln High and Linda Vista Elementary before drop-off and after dismissal, watching for unmarked vehicles and officers who may be immigration agents. Volunteers carry flyers that explain how to tell whether someone is from ICE, what documents officers must show, and what families can say or refuse to say during an encounter.

Purpose and limits of the patrols

The patrols are not formal security operations and do not try to block arrests. Instead, organizers say their main goals are to:

• Share information (alerts about sightings and officer activity)
• Document what happens (locations, badge numbers, conversations)
• Help families make quick choices, such as whether to change routes, delay leaving school, or call a trusted contact

The nonprofit Unión del Barrio, which has long worked with immigrant communities in San Diego, trained about 100 teachers over the summer to join the watch groups and to give “know-your-rights” talks during staff meetings and parent events.

Training, district guidance, and protections

Those trainings cover basics of federal policy along with local school rules. San Diego Unified School District has told staff it will:

• Not help ICE conduct operations on campuses without a valid warrant
• Not share student records unless required by law

District officials also distributed resource sheets to principals, including links to legal aid groups and guidance on how to respond if children see a parent detained or fail to find a caregiver waiting after school.

“Schools are generally considered ‘sensitive locations,’ where officers are expected to limit enforcement activity,” reads public guidance — but exceptions in urgent cases leave families uneasy about how protections apply in daily life.

That policy is described on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website.

What volunteers do and why teachers are involved

In San Diego patrols, volunteers:

• Take notes on locations, badge numbers (if visible), and conversations they witness
• Share the collected information with local legal partners

Teachers participating say they feel torn between staying neutral in political debates and responding to students who come to class shaking after seeing immigration agents outside their homes or apartment complexes. One middle school teacher described holding a reading circle for fifth graders while checking her phone for text alerts from parents about ICE vehicles near the campus.

Similar efforts in other cities

Charlotte, North Carolina

• Community groups organized patrols after Border Patrol vehicles were seen in the region and families began avoiding school buses.
• Advocacy organizations held large trainings for residents on:
  • How to calmly film encounters with immigration agents
  • How to share information without spreading rumors
  • How to explain children’s rights inside school buildings
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says it is not aware of enforcement on school property and stressed student privacy rules limit what outside agencies can request without a court order.
• District officials have discussed contingency plans, including the possibility of switching to remote instruction briefly if major enforcement activity occurs near schools during class hours — a proposal that draws mixed feelings, recalling pandemic disruptions but offering another control layer.

Detroit

• Detroit Public Schools Community District requires immigration agents to obtain approval from the superintendent’s office before entering any school building.
• Superintendent Nikolai Vitti urged staff to report any ICE approach immediately so central administrators can track contacts and decide when legal counsel or community partners should be involved.
• Some teachers and community organizers are pushing for:
  • Stronger sanctuary language
  • More staff training on responding to ICE arrivals
  • Clearer messaging to families about district limits and capabilities

Skokie, Illinois (north of Chicago)

• Local volunteers in bright pink vests stand outside schools during busy times to watch for immigration activity.
• They carry notebooks and phones but are trained not to interfere with officers.
• Their role is to:
  • Record what happens
  • Support families who ask for help
  • Reduce misunderstandings that could escalate an arrest
• The area’s school district passed a resolution that:
  • Bars ICE from using campuses to stage operations or stakeouts
  • Restricts access to student information unless agents present a warrant
• Volunteers may walk with students or parents who feel unsafe heading home if agents are nearby.

Los Angeles

• Schools tightened protections after the detention of a 15-year-old outside a high school — an incident that spread on social media and prompted strong student reactions.
• Los Angeles Unified School District reminded families it does not allow ICE onto campuses without proper legal documents and reviewed safety plans with principals.
• Superintendent Alberto Carvalho urged keeping federal agents away from school grounds when possible, noting that children cannot focus on learning if they fear a walk to the bus stop could end in a parent’s detention.

Legal context and cautions

Legal experts emphasize:

• Volunteers must not impersonate law enforcement or interfere with official duties.
• Observing, recording, and sharing public information is generally allowed.
• As long as patrol members do not obstruct officers or give false directions, they can serve as extra eyes on the street.

Parents and organizers report that simply seeing a familiar teacher or neighbor outside school can calm children enough to enter class during times of rumor and fear.

Current scope and challenges

• These patrols are patchwork efforts, varying widely across cities and dependent on:
  • Small nonprofits
  • Overworked teachers
  • Parent groups with limited funding
• Despite the uneven nature, rapid growth in places such as San Diego, Charlotte, Detroit, Skokie, and Los Angeles shows how much immigration enforcement has entered daily school life.
• For many families, getting a child to class has become a quiet calculation about whether someone might be waiting on the corner.

Key takeaway: Community-run school patrols aim to provide early warning and emotional support, while navigating legal limits and the gap between federal enforcement practices and local promises of safety.