Fresno Parents Plead With School Board for Help as ICE Raids Leave Kids ‘Living in Terror’

Parents packed a Fresno Unified board meeting Wednesday night begging the district to tell them how to keep their children safe as immigration enforcement sweeps across the Central Valley, with one mother saying plainly: “Our children cannot learn if they are living in terror.”

Nearly every parent who spoke at the meeting asked the board to do more — more communication about what ICE enforcement means for families trying to get kids to and from school, more clarity on what happens if federal agents show up near a campus, more options for children too afraid to leave home.

“Please explicitly reaffirm to every principal, teacher and school resource officer that no federal immigration agent is allowed onto a campus without a signed judicial warrant, and ensure families know exact protocols if officers are spotted nearby,” said Cheryl Stowers, a parent in the district.

Several parents asked the district to let children stay home and learn online, as they did during the pandemic. Some cited the district’s own board policy allowing short-term independent study for absences of 15 school days or fewer.

Carlos Castillo, the district’s chief academic officer, told families they could use short-term independent study if they expect absences. Castillo also pointed to the district’s School of Independent Study and Farber School of Online Learning.

The fear is already costing the district money. Patrick Jensen, Fresno Unified’s chief financial officer, told Fresnoland the district lost around 2.1% in average daily attendance this past Friday compared to last year — a drop that translates to roughly $115,000 in lost funding from student absences on Friday.

“It’s something that we monitor on a day-to-day basis, but yeah, attendance was down over just over 2% on Friday,” Jensen said.

Meanwhile, immigration attorneys say they are being denied immediate access to people detained in Fresno County ICE raids over the past week. The UFW Foundation, which provides free deportation-defense legal services in California, says it has recorded the names of dozens of detained individuals but believes the actual number is much higher.

Attorneys report that when they show up in person to request access to detainees at the Fresno ERO Processing Center and surrounding facilities, ICE tells them the detained individuals do not show up in its system. The attorneys believe ICE may not be updating its systems until individuals sign voluntary departures — meaning people are being transferred to other facilities, including out-of-state locations, before they have a chance to consult with an attorney.

“Our attorneys are prepared to meet with individuals on-site, yet current access constraints make it difficult to deliver essential legal services,” said Ambar Tovar, the UFW Foundation’s Director of Legal Services. “While detainee location information is not updated promptly, individuals are being transferred to other facilities, including out-of-state locations, before they have an opportunity to consult with counsel.”

Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno said Wednesday that at least three parishioners in the city have been detained, including “a mom and a grandma” who “has been here for years and we don’t even know where she is.”

In a public letter released Wednesday, Brennan addressed what he described as “unrest, anxiety and fear” in the community. “Our Church teaches that every human person possesses an inherent dignity,” the letter states. “This dignity is not granted by governments, economic status, citizenship, or legal documentation. It is given by God.”

Brennan said he has encouraged pastors to move religious education programs online. “We are still going to have the mass schedule,” he said. “If people do not show up because of fear, I encourage my pastors to take that with absolute pastoral care.”

The Breakdown

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been conducting detention operations in Fresno County and the Central Valley over the past week, detaining dozens of people according to attorneys — the actual number is believed to be higher.
• Parents at Wednesday’s Fresno Unified board meeting asked the district to increase communication about ICE enforcement, clarify protocols if agents appear near schools, and offer online learning options for children too afraid to leave home.
• Fresno Unified lost roughly 2.1% in average daily attendance this past Friday compared to last year — about $115,000 on that single day — which the district’s chief financial officer attributed to immigration enforcement.
• Immigration attorneys from the UFW Foundation say they are being denied immediate access to detainees at Fresno-area facilities, and that ICE is not updating its detainee database until individuals sign voluntary departures — meaning people are being transferred, including out of state, before they can consult with counsel.
• Bishop Joseph Brennan said at least three Fresno parishioners have been detained, including one woman whose family does not know where she is. Brennan has encouraged pastors to move religious education programs online.

What This Means for You

If you are a parent in Fresno Unified, you now know the district is watching attendance drop because families are too afraid to send their kids to school, and you know the district has short-term independent study available if you expect absences.

If someone in your family or community has been detained, you now know attorneys are reporting they cannot get immediate access to detainees, and that people may be transferred out of state before they can talk to a lawyer — which means time matters if you are trying to get legal help for someone.

What You Can Do

If you need legal help for someone detained, the UFW Foundation provides free deportation-defense services and has attorneys on the ground — visit ufwfoundation.org or call them directly.

If your child attends Fresno Unified and you anticipate absences, contact the district about short-term independent study (for absences of 15 days or fewer) or its School of Independent Study and Farber School of Online Learning for longer-term options.

What to Watch

Attorneys are alleging ICE is denying them access to detainees and not updating its database until people sign voluntary departures — meaning people are being transferred before they can consult with counsel. ICE has not publicly addressed these allegations.

Why is ICE choosing to carry out these operations now, in a community where children are too afraid to go to school and families don’t know where their relatives are being held? The material offers no answer to that question.

The school district lost roughly $115,000 on Friday in funding because families were too scared to send their kids to school — that is taxpayer money the district won’t have for teachers, programs, or services. And if the district’s attendance keeps dropping, will the state or federal government make up the funding loss, or will Fresno schools just absorb the hit?

Who actually benefits from raids that terrify a community, separate families, and keep kids out of school? Not the children learning in fear. Not the parents who spoke Wednesday night. Not the schools losing funding.