The crisis that looms over classrooms in the coming school year

As thousands take to the streets to protest across the nation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids are perpetuating a quieter crisis that looms over the upcoming school year for New York City students: chronic absenteeism.

- By NAZILA RAMJAN

In my Jamaica, Queens, classroom, something more profound has been driving my and many other students away: fear of ICE, of family separation, and of what might happen just in walking to school.

Chronic absenteeism is no longer just about truancy or disengagement. It's a crisis rooted in worry, driven by policies that make schools feel unsafe. In January, President Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to revoke protections for “sensitive locations” like schools, stripping them of their long-held sanctuary status. This marked a seismic shift in federal guidance.

The result? Schools like mine, once considered safe havens, are now potential sites of immigration enforcement and deportation. A study by the Migration Policy Institute shows that crackdowns on immigration and absenteeism are increasingly interconnected: As stricter immigration enforcement happens, anxiety levels rise and kids miss school out of fear.