On January 20th, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion”. This order allows federal immigration authorities increased enforcement powers, raising concerns about potential raids and detentions of undocumented minors, including in schools.
In response to parents’ concerns, the Twin Falls County and Lincoln County Sheriff’s offices released separate statements assuring citizens of Twin Falls and Lincoln County that they “have no plans to pull children out of schools.” This assertion was intended to ease the fears of immigrant families who have spoken to school administrators, wishing to pull their students out of school because of concerns about their children being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, the statement additionally mentions that the Twin Falls Sheriff’s Department is working with ICE to remove “criminal illegal aliens”, undocumented immigrants who have a criminal record, from the community. This includes providing jail housing for detained individuals while maintaining that school environments will not be affected.
Because of the heightened enforcement on undocumented immigrants, rumors have circulated that undocumented immigrant children are being pulled from schools and detained without parental knowledge.
According to Dr. Ryan Nesmith, Associate Superintendent of the Twin Falls School District, under federal law, all children are granted a free public education no matter their citizenship. Schools can ask for documents relating to immunization, proof of residency, proof of age, etc. However, they cannot ask for documentation regarding citizenship or a Social Security number, which would prohibit students from attending school.
Additionally, schools are prohibited from sharing students’ personal information without written parental consent unless the student is over 18 or enrolled in college. These are legal protections that ensure all children have access to education without fear of detainment, discrimination, or deportation.
“Schools and school districts cannot share personally identifiable information from a student’s education records without the prior written consent of the student’s parents unless the student is 18 years of age or older, attends an institution of postsecondary education, or is otherwise permitted by law,” said Dr. Nesmith.
