As the school year begins, the immigration policy landscape in 2025 continues to be characterized by expanded detention and enforcement, and widespread violations of civil rights. Advocates remain on high alert for attacks that will further disrupt immigrant families and their surrounding communities. This includes the increased use of “wellness checks” as an immigration enforcement tool inside of schools and other public places previously categorized as off-limits to immigration raids.
Since the start of Donald Trump’s administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been conducting “wellness checks” without notice, under the guise of protecting students. Typically, such checks have been conducted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, which does not have deportation power. That ICE—under the Department of Homeland Security—is now regularly conducting the checks signals a shift both in practice and intent.
Advocates warn this practice is unethical and severely harms children, regardless of immigration status.
We spoke to Laura Vazquez, director of immigrant integration at the advocacy organization UnidosUS, who said that these unannounced checks, no matter how they are labeled, and the Trump administration’s rescission of “protected areas”—such as schools, youth-serving organizations, churches, and hospitals—are sowing fear in communities, disrupting classrooms, and undermining trust in these institutions as safe havens.
While ICE claims so-called wellness checks are conducted to ensure that unaccompanied immigrant children—those who either came to the US without an adult, were separated from their parents at the border, or were separated from their parents by recent ICE raids—are attending school and are not being exploited, advocates warn the approach ICE has been taking is invasive and treacherous, particularly in the absence of clear guidelines or legal protections. The expedited removal of immigrants by Homeland Security has included unaccompanied minors since the beginning of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, according to a leaked document obtained by the National Immigration Project. Moreover, the recent chaotic attempt to deport Guatemalan immigrant children in the middle of the night, giving their lawyers and sponsors barely a couple hours warning, has left the entire ecosystem of providing protections for unaccompanied children reeling.
The heightened anxiety of immigrant children going back to school this school, and their caregivers, can be felt throughout US classrooms.
“This isn’t about the one child ICE is supposedly checking on,” Vazquez told NPQ. “It’s about every child who hears that ICE showed up at school. It’s about every parent who suddenly questions whether it’s safe to send their child to class.”
A Ripple Effect
The new policy implementation and the presence of ICE in previously protected locations has broad consequences. In mixed-status households and non-White school districts, even the mention of ICE can trigger panic.
“We’ve seen ripple effects where whole classrooms become traumatized,” Vazquez said. “Some children refuse to go to school. Some parents stop attending PTA meetings or school events. There’s a chilling effect that sets in across the community.”
Educators, social workers, and nonprofit leaders are reporting increased anxiety and frequent absences, even in communities where enforcement hasn’t yet occurred. The fact that ICE is conducting immigration raids—often masked, in unmarked cars, without transparency or community notice—undermines trust and exacerbates mental health struggles among youth.
“The policy may be framed around school attendance, but what it really does is erode the sense of safety that schools are supposed to provide,” Vazquez said.
“Having a plan before ICE shows up is critical.”
Some aspects of this policy are not new. A report by the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy published in December 2023, showed that the Joe Biden administration had failed to protect immigrant minors from unfair accelerated deportations or by providing them legal representation at court proceedings—thousands received removal orders in absentia during his term. Moreover, under an inflated claim during the campaign trail that 300,000 unaccompanied minors went missing under Biden—a New York Times special investigation said the Department of Health and Human Services had lost track of as many as 40,000 in 2022s—, since May agents in tactical gear have been visiting children’s sponsors and requiring them to go through DNA testing and fingerprinting. That policy is now being implemented in schools under the pretext of looking out for children’s wellbeing, but in ways that leave families even more vulnerable.
Vazquez said that ICE has been calling or even coming into schools to demand information about students, sometimes without providing legal documentation or warrants.
Responding Effectively
With fear mounting, community nonprofits are stepping into a crucial role but many need guidance on how to respond effectively.
“Nonprofits need to know that this happening,” Vazquez said. “And they need to understand how these ICE actions—even if framed as ‘welfare checks’—can deeply traumatize immigrant families and undermine community cohesion.”
Vazquez urged nonprofits, especially those working in education, health, or immigrant services, to proactively reach out to schools and families and offer support, including Know Your Rights presentations that address the issue.
“Many school personnel don’t know what to do when ICE calls,” Vazquez said. “Nonprofits can offer training to school staff and families, so that everyone understands their rights. Having a plan before ICE shows up is critical.”
Nonprofits can also help schools and families develop rapid-response protocols. This includes who to call, how to notify families, and how to deescalate panic. Mental health support must also be culturally competent, trauma-informed, and linguistically accessible.
“Even if ICE doesn’t arrest anyone, the trauma of these encounters lingers,” Vazquez said. “We need community responders who understand that.”
Even more, Vazquez encouraged nonprofits to push for local and district-level policies that reinforce schools as safe spaces and prohibit unnecessary cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“This is also about changing the narrative,” she said. “We need to elevate stories of how indiscriminate immigration enforcement is harming children’s development and wellbeing. People understand that’s bad for the future of our country. That’s how we build momentum for change.”
“Even if ICE doesn’t arrest anyone, the trauma of these encounters lingers….We need community responders who understand that.”
Show Up, Stay Vigilant
Vazquez warns that these “wellness checks” should be understood not as isolated actions, but as part of a broader enforcement regime.
“This is not just a matter of immigration enforcement; it’s a public health issue, an education issue and community wellness issue,” she said. “We’re talking about entire communities being destabilized.”
To prepare for increased immigration enforcement, nonprofits should coordinate regionally to ensure families have consistent support. Vazquez further emphasized the importance of legal support.
For school employees, it creates a difficult bind between their roles as caretakers and fear of breaking the law.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” she said. “Nonprofits can start listening to families, documenting incidents, and standing beside schools that want to do the right thing. But we need to equip families with legal guidance. We need attorneys who understand family and immigration law to advise schools and nonprofits about their obligations and limitations.”
Meeting the Moment
Vazquez warned, “Even if ICE hasn’t come to your community yet, it doesn’t mean that they won’t. Nonprofits should be helping families prepare, not react. And we should be holding ICE accountable every time they blur the lines between care and enforcement.”
For children already navigating the trauma of migration and separation, a sudden visit to their home or other setting from ICE can trigger deep anxiety, mistrust, and emotional withdrawal. For caregivers, it can mean the agonizing decision of whether to send their children to school at all. And for school employees, it creates a difficult bind between their roles as caretakers and fear of breaking the law.
This is where nonprofits must meet the moment, Vazquez said. Whether by training school staff, educating families on their rights, or advocating for stronger district policies, organizations on the ground have the tools and trust to protect immigrant communities.
“We can’t wait until harm is done to respond,” Vazquez said. “Nonprofits have the credibility and the reach to keep families informed, schools prepared, and children safe. But they must understand what’s happening, and why it matters.”
For More on This Topic
What Nonprofits Need to Know About Birthright Citizenship’s Legal Limbo
On the Frontlines: Lessons from New York’s Immigrant Defense Project
We Belong Here: How Immigrants Are Organizing and How Allies Can Help
