The Minneapolis school district closed all schools a day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and this week, and federal law enforcement agents later arrived at a high school , where , according to local reports.
This appears to be the first districtwide closure of schools tied to incidents with federal officers since the start of President Donald Trump鈥檚 second term, which has been marked by across the country.
Over the past year, school districts in California, Indiana, Alaska, and other states have canceled field trips, cultural events, and after-school activities, and individual schools have locked down or closed due to nearby ICE activity, according to an EdWeek analysis of local news.
鈥淥ut of an abundance of caution, there will be no school on Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9 due to safety concerns related to today鈥檚 incidents around the city,鈥� a Minneapolis district statement said.
鈥淎ll MPS-sponsored programs, activities, athletics, and Community Education classes, including adult education, will be canceled. The district will not move to e-learning because that is only allowable for severe weather.鈥�
The district declined to provide additional comment.
The move to close all schools and cancel all events is significant for a major urban school district that serves more than 29,000 students and proactively supports its immigrant students, said Alejandra Vazquez Baur, a fellow at the Century Foundation and co-founder of the National Newcomer Network, a coalition of 糖心动漫vlog and immigrant advocates.
鈥淯nlike other times, when school leaders will say 鈥楾he school is the safest place for you,鈥� they said that is not the case today, this week,鈥� said Vasquez Baur. 鈥淭his week, we want to ensure the safety of our entire community by ensuring that they stay home.鈥�
鈥淭his is the canary in the coal mine of how [schools鈥橾 immigration enforcement protocols will continue to evolve to respond to changing strategies from immigration enforcement in and around schools,鈥� she added.
Incidents in Minneapolis remain under investigation, officials say
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers into the Minneapolis area as part of an immigration enforcement operation mirroring those in other cities, including Chicago in the fall, where teachers spoke of the fear such actions stirred among students and families.
Since last January, when the Trump administration rescinded a longstanding DHS policy designating schools as 鈥減rotected areas鈥� from immigration enforcement, school leaders have been grappling with how to address anxieties among students and families of ICE presence near schools.
On Jan. 7, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother, inside her car.
Videos posted to social media showed Good鈥檚 car partly blocking one lane of a residential street. Federal agents approach the car with one trying to open the driver鈥檚 side door, and another stepping in front of the vehicle as . The car shifted from reverse to drive and begins to move ahead when 鈥渢he agent at the front of the vehicle, standing near the driver鈥檚 side headlight, pulls out a gun and fires at the driver, continuing to shoot as the vehicle moves past him.鈥�
Good鈥檚 death led to vigils and protests in the city with local and state officials at odds with federal leaders, the latter alleging the agent acted in self-defense while the former said the evidence doesn鈥檛 support such a case.
In response to Education Week questions about reports of federal immigration officers appearing later that same afternoon at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, a federal spokesperson said that Border Patrol agents pursued a U.S. citizen who allegedly attempted to impede operations underway in the Minneapolis area. The five-mile car chase ended in a school zone.
鈥淎t no point was a school, students, or staff targeted,鈥� the DHS spokesperson said.
The school district said in a statement it was aware of an incident that happened after school on Jan. 7 outside of Roosevelt High School.
鈥淭his incident involved federal law enforcement agents and is currently under investigation. We are working with our partners, including the city of Minneapolis and others, to support the individuals directly impacted.鈥�
The Minneapolis Federation of Educators union, MFE 59, this week that it strongly condemned ICE and other agencies it viewed as responsible for Good鈥檚 death. The organization said it opposes 鈥渢he ongoing occupation of our communities.鈥�
鈥淲e will not tolerate ICE inhibiting our city鈥檚 youth from their constitutional right to attend school safely or inhibiting 糖心动漫vlog from doing their job鈥� the statement said.
In a Facebook post, Christian Ledesma, the principal of Roosevelt High said 鈥淲e can debate policy, but we cannot debate whether children deserve to feel safe at school. We cannot debate whether families deserve to stay together.鈥�
鈥淭he trauma that our kids are experiencing is real. The fear is real. The death and pain [are] real,鈥� he added.
Immigration enforcement linked to increased student anxiety, absences
The abrupt closure of Minneapolis public schools, and the associated loss ofinstructional time, is just one of the effects that schools and districts are experiencing as immigration enforcement activity expands in communities across the country.
鈥淲hen we close schools for any reason, it means students are not learning the materials,鈥� Vazquez Baur said. 鈥淭hey could fall behind on learning important information in the timeline in order to learn materials for state tests.鈥�
The closures in Minneapolis show 鈥渄istrict leaders think the threat is big enough around schools that the schoolhouse is no longer safe until they can make appropriate changes to [their] protocol,鈥� she added.
In a national EdWeek Research Center survey conducted last fall, 50% of 糖心动漫vlog working with immigrant students and families said immigrant students have expressed fear and anxiety due to federal immigration enforcement efforts. Seventy-five percent said that fear or anxiety is interfering with student learning 鈥渟ome鈥� or 鈥渁 lot.鈥�
Twenty-four percent of 糖心动漫vlog working with immigrant students and families reported seeing reduced student attendance, and an equal share said their students were seemed distracted or unengaged in class due to federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Though there haven鈥檛 been reports of ICE officers entering public school buildings to conduct enforcement activities, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, urged such officers to stay out of schools at a press conference.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say this strong enough as governor, as a parent, as a teacher. To our elected representatives, Democrats and Republicans: I beg you, I implore you to tell them to stay out of our schools,鈥� Walz said. 鈥淭his tragedy will be magnified a hundredfold if this fight moves into the hallways of our public schools amongst our youth.鈥�
