LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on Monday condemned a new wave of immigration raids across the city, including one that unfolded just steps from Huntington Park High School during a student graduation ceremony, intensifying fears among immigrant families.
As district officials held a press conference denouncing federal immigration arrests, a raid took place about seven miles away near a Home Depot within view of the high school. Social media videos captured immigration agents chasing and arresting day laborers around 8:30 a.m., prompting widespread speculation that the nearby school event may have been targeted — a rumor later dispelled, though the anxiety it triggered was very real.
“These are communities of resilience and hope… and yet our families are now forced to live in fear, looking over their shoulders on the way to school or their child’s graduation,” said LAUSD school board vice president Rocio Rivas.
Huntington Park is a predominantly Latino, working-class community — the same demographic that has borne the brunt of recent immigration enforcement across Los Angeles. The district’s response protocol was immediately activated: staff opened an alternate exit farthest from the incident site, reassured families, and worked to keep the graduation ceremony undisturbed.
Though immigration agents did not attempt to enter the school, a formal statement confirming this was not released until hours later. One graduation attendee said via TikTok that a school official informed the crowd after the ceremony that agents had been present nearby, but had since left.
District Emphasizes Safety and Support
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district’s priority remains creating “perimeters of safety” around all 100+ graduation events taking place this week. District police have been instructed to remain on-site as long as needed and to intervene if federal agents appear near school grounds.
“Every child has a constitutional right to a public education,” Carvalho said. “Therefore, every child and their parent has a right to celebrate the culmination of their educational success.”
The district will also implement safety measures going into summer — increasing the number of summer school sites to reduce travel distances, offering virtual options for those who feel unsafe, and ensuring continued on-site security.
Carvalho said parents concerned about ICE activity will be allowed to remain inside school venues without time limits and that school staff are trained to communicate quickly with district leadership to verify incidents and provide guidance.
“Places where kids wait for buses, or the bus itself — that is all part of our educational environment,” Carvalho said. “We will defend it.”
California is home to an estimated one million children with at least one undocumented parent. According to the Migration Policy Institute, approximately 133,000 children in the state’s public schools are undocumented themselves.
Teachers Take the Lead in Real-Time Crisis Response
On the front lines, educators have become a vital source of reassurance and rapid response. Marcela Chagoya, a teacher at Stevenson College & Career Prep, said she spent Monday calming frightened students while monitoring ICE sightings through a Rapid Response Network.
“Our school district is a sanctuary district,” Chagoya said. “We’re not going to put any of our students or their families, if they’re on our campus, at risk.”
Trained by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Chagoya and other teachers have become key communicators in real time. If notified of ICE activity, they report to their principals, who then alert district leaders. She even carries a bullhorn in her car to alert the community if needed.
Chagoya said she actively teaches students how to respond in potential encounters with federal agents, reinforcing that classrooms are safe spaces.
“This is a lesson we’re learning in real time,” she said. “And we will all just roll with it and be as proactive as we can.”
As tensions continue across Los Angeles over immigration enforcement, LAUSD officials reaffirmed their stance: schools are not only places of learning — they are sanctuaries.
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