For centuries, immigrants have built this country from the ground up—but now, they’re caught in one of America’s greatest political storms. Since colonial times, people from around the world have left their homes and immigrated to the United States seeking a better life. Many sought better economic opportunities due to crop failures, land loss, job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, while others desired personal freedom or relief from political and religious persecution.
According to the CATO Institute, over 86 million people legally immigrated to the United States between 1783 and 2019. The legal aspect of this matter has radically changed over time, but it remains one of the most contentious issues in the political scene. Past immigration policies have influenced current debates, and conflicting views of these policies have led to what the CATO institute describes as an “archaic and barely coherent” immigration system that leaves both sides frustrated and dissatisfied.
President Trump’s inauguration has dramatically reshaped the future of immigration. Trump has made his view of immigration clear, having said that “Illegal immigration affects the lives of all Americans. Illegal immigration hurts American workers; burdens American taxpayers; undermines public safety; and places enormous strain on local schools, hospitals, and communities in general, taking precious resources away from the poorest Americans who need them most… And I will therefore take every lawful action at my disposal to address this crisis. And that’s what we’re doing.”
Since his inauguration, Trump has deployed 4,500 additional troops to the border, suspended the refugee program, and ramped up deportation efforts. While it is difficult to ascertain exactly how many raids have been carried out, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained 956 people on January 26 alone, double the average under the Biden administration, according to the BBC.
As documented by Axios DC, there are around 600,000 undocumented immigrants in the DMV whose futures are now uncertain with President Trump’s commitments to mass deportations. His promises aren’t empty, as Trump has pledged to use military force to “quickly” deport mass numbers of undocumented immigrants.
Trump is devoted to “high profile raids,” aimed at capturing large amounts of undocumented immigrants at a time, and they are likely to occur in highly immigrant-concentrated industries, which, according to data from the American Immigration Council in 2022, are the construction, agriculture, and hospitality industries. While Trump does plan to follow through with these actions, many limiting factors may result in an underwhelming “mass deportation.” These include factors such as “turf wars, local resistance, and logical staffing realities,” which would make it nearly impossible to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, according to experts interviewed by Axios.
The Trump administration has sent thousands of immigrants to the military base at Guantánamo Bay, claiming that those sent there are “the worst of the worst.” However, 51 of the 178 people held there are noncriminal, according to a Department of Homeland Security official quoted by NBC. As the administration hopes to publicize and highlight the deportations, they opted to use military planes instead of cheaper charter flights. The round trip cost of using military planes to send immigrants to Guantánamo is $23,000 to $27,000 per person, according to the Defense Department.
Teachers in the DMV and surrounding areas are fearful for their students. A source who has family members who work in Alexandria Public Schools states that teachers often find themselves torn between helping students and following the law. Another source who works in Montgomery County shared that her elementary-aged students have been distraught at school and are afraid that they will go home and find that their parents have been taken.
With another four years in Trump’s term, the deportation efforts could be just beginning, and it is unknown how much longer the mass deportations will occur. Our sources from within our community said that families across the nation and in our area have been calling into schools, expressing their concerns, asking questions, and requesting help. But, with the new orders allowing ICE to enter schools and churches, there is very little that can be done.
Several D.C. restaurants were shut down on Monday, February 3, as immigrants protested Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration by not going to work. The idea of this initiative, named “A Day Without Immigrants,” was to emphasize the significance of immigrants to the nation’s economy and society. Chris Svetlik, owner of Republic Cantina in Northwest D.C., told WTOP Radio that the immigrants at his business and businesses around him are “truly important members of our community.” To further illustrate the local importance of this issue, members of the school community were interviewed, sharing their valuable experiences and perspectives, which offer valuable insights into the impact of immigration.
Speaking about their thoughts on the new immigration policy, one anonymous junior said “I think it’s incredibly disturbing to see. For one, I think the amount of children being separated from their parents is despicable. I also think it’s important to acknowledge that most immigrants aren’t criminals as the Trump administration would like us to believe. I also think it’s important to look at the economic effects that these deportations will have. 27% of construction workers are undocumented immigrants and I believe around 50% of agricultural workers are as well. These deportations will have a huge economic effect as we’re losing a large portion of workers. I think a more productive solution would be to create a better immigration system that allows undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship.”
When asked if they knew anyone who had been directly affected by deportations, they said they didn’t know anyone who had been directly affected, but did have a second-hand perspective. They remarked, “I have a friend who works at an elementary school and many of her students are worried they or their parents may be deported and her administration has had to have conversations about how to handle ICE if they enter her school.”
As immigration enforcement ramps up, Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement Mr. Yee noted that “there is broad concern among our community partners about the way that these orders affect the people that they seek to serve.”
Mr. Yee said that Mother of Light Center, which the school works with for community service efforts, has seen a 50% reduction in walk-ins since the inauguration. At Reach for the Stars, SSSAS students work with elementary-aged students who live in the Arlandria area, many of whom come from families with a Central American background. Mr. Yee said there has also been a decline in the number of students coming to that program, though he said it’s too early to tell if it will be a permanent reduction or just a temporary drop-off. Recently program attendance has gone from around 20 to 8 students. He also stated that “I worry students are not equipped to handle the level of fear in communities.”
Profe Gasper, an Upper School Spanish Teacher, talked about her program “Panda Friends,” in which high school students tutor lower schoolers at Charles Barrett in reading. Asked about how the Charles Barrrett community has been impacted by the recent deportation efforts, she said “we have only met once since the inauguration. Of the 12 second graders we normally work with, 4 were missing. Of those, 2 had been absent from school for the previous two weeks, basically since the inauguration, and 1 was in school but the family wanted to have the child leave at normal time with the crowd, so that a late parent pick up wasn’t necessary.”
Head of School Kirsten Adams spoke about the effects of immigration enforcement on the school community, saying that the administration is providing legal services for employees who may need to utilize it. When asked about what the school would do if a student was ever affected by ICE or at risk of deportation, she responded by saying that “if there were ever individuals impacted that needed support, our community is so good at reaching out and saying, this family needs support.” However, she further mentioned that there are no individuals at the school that currently need help, but the school is readily available to offer any assistance that is needed. When questioned on how SSSAS discusses these topics, she said “I think it’s important for you guys as students to understand immigration policy. Historic, current, and future. I do think we should be talking about it.”
Ania Soto, a sophomore at SSSAS, spoke to us about immigration, saying “the topic of immigration resonates with me in part because my father is a Latino immigrant. While my father did gain citizenship legally, he personally knows and has worked with people who have immigrated illegally. Both my father and I believe that the way someone has come into the country does not define their character, especially because many people do not have a choice. People from violence ridden or financially struggling countries do not choose the life they are born into, but may be able to choose to leave it and seek better for themselves and their families.” Additionally, she shared that “I have a mutual friend who is an immigrant, and her family is facing the possibility of deportation. She expressed how scared and distressed she is because of this and has urged many people she knows to reconsider the choices they have made when electing a president who is in favor of mass deportation.”
Alexandria City Public Schools have a very high Hispanic population, with 34% of their students identifying. In their “Equity For All 2025” packet, ACPS highlights the strategy of “ensuring all families feel welcome and supported as equal partners in their children’s education.” This comes listed under the headline “Partner with families – with a particular focus on immigrants and families of color.” While this statement leaves out a message of dedication to those who settle illegally, they remain committed to immigrants. While all children residents have the right to attend school in Alexandria, regardless of immigrant status, the school system must comply with any lawful warrants from ICE or other law enforcement.
An anonymous student from SSSAS said in an interview, “The Trump administration consistently refers to immigrants as “aliens” and it hurts everytime I hear it. Immigrants are a part of the backbone of our nation. People claim that they are “stealing jobs” but they are taking the jobs that many Americans don’t want. They contribute to our nation in every way.”
One of our writers received a safety guide from an out-of-school volunteering program in the Alexandria area. The document starts with stating the directions for volunteers, mentors, and staff if ICE comes to the building. The steps include: “Stay Calm, Lock Doors, and Keep People Inside, Notify the Right People, Refuse Entry Without a Valid Warrant, Keep ICE from Engaging with Community Members, and Document Everything.” Under each of these steps, there are detailed plans of action for the volunteers and mentors that go to this volunteering organization, showing how serious the situation is.
While he said that he has not heard of any ICE action at Alexandria public schools, Mr. Yee said that “there was a smaller scale raid on a school in Annandale, as well as enforcement actions carried out in Arlington, and I’ve heard reports of apartment buildings up along the route one corridor south of Alexandria in Fairfax County, and then up in Hyattsville [being raided by ICE].”
Mr. Yee noted that “local public schools have put out statements saying that children are children, and they’re welcome to come to our school. They have procedures in place to intervene on behalf of students in danger, including making sure that there’s a school representative there to meet ICE, ask for specific warrants, and facilitate the location of specific individuals that warrant names to avoid large-scale kind of catch-all immigration enforcement actions.”
In a Google form sent out to upper school students, which received 58 responses, 64% of respondents said that they do not support Trump’s heightened deportation efforts. Asked if they know anyone directly affected by immigration enforcement, 74% said they do not.
Poll respondents had varied thoughts on the efforts, with one anonymous student saying “Human trafficking and deaths from fentanyl are steadily rising thanks to the open border and stream of un-vetted people coming into the US. Trump seems to be taking steps in the right direction to fix this.”
On the contrary, a respondent stated, “I think it’s horrible and it’s only causing more divide in our country. I’ve already heard so many stories about people turning on their own students, friends, etc”.
