Central Ohio high schools students protest ICE, teacher unions condemn ICE activity near schools

Central Ohio high school students are walking out to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Several students from Franklin County school districts including Worthington Schools, Hilliard Schools, Upper Arlington Schools, Westerville Schools, and Dublin Schools have walked out of school recently in protest.

These walkouts come after more than 280 people in central Ohio were detained by ICE in one week during Operation Buckeye, which ICE launched from Dec. 16-21.

“Our immigrant kids are afraid to come to school,” Columbus Education Association President John Coneglio said to the Capital Journal.

Ohio schools are required by law to provide free public education to all children, regardless of immigration status.

The Trump administration last year rescinded a policy directive that banned ICE from operating in “sensitive areas” like schools, places of worship, and hospitals.

Some Ohio teacher unions have recently condemned ICE activity near school buildings. 

“ICE’s presence in central Ohio is causing fear, upheaval and panic in immigrant communities,” South-Western Education Association Faculty Representatives Spokesperson Emmalee Harding said in a statement.

“This will predictably harm the school environment by causing increased absences, decreased student achievement, and parental disengagement.”

The Hilliard Education Association said denying any child the chance to attend public school is harmful. 

“Depriving any child of an opportunity to attend public school puts them at a disadvantage, making it difficult for them to gain the skills they need to contribute fully to society,” HEA said in a statement. 

The Ohio Education Association “strongly opposes any presence or enforcement actions” by ICE in or around public schools, OEA President Jeff Wensing said in a statement. 

“Schools must remain safe, welcoming spaces where every student — regardless of immigration status — can learn, grow, and thrive without fear,” Wensing said.

“No child should be afraid to go to school, and no school employee should be placed in the position of navigating immigration enforcement. The presence of ICE in schools undermines trust, disrupts learning, and creates trauma for children and families.”

Maqueli Eldredge, a paralegal at Legal Immigration Services in Dublin, said she has not seen ICE try to detain parents when they pick-up or drop-off their children at school. 

“Sometimes people see (ICE) around the schools in the neighborhoods, but we haven’t seen ICE trying to detain parents when they take the kids to school,” she said. 

Some parents are choosing to keep their students at home and are trying to figure out distance learning, Eldredge said. 

“It’s very hard for the kids to miss school and also for the parents to miss work,” she said. 

Ohio Immigrant Alliance reported last month that at least 214 people detained were in detention as of Dec. 24. Ninety-three percent were men and 80% appear to be Latino, according to a report from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. 

Ohio House Bill 42 would require various agencies and departments, including the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, to collect and report citizenship and immigration status to the governor. For the department, that would mean reporting how many students are citizens and how many are not citizens.

Ohio State Reps. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, and Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Twp., introduced the bill, which has had three hearings so far and received much opposition.

“Schools are not immigration enforcement agencies,” Honesty for Ohio Education Executive Director Christina Collins said in her opponent testimony.

“Students who fear that their personal or family information could be used against them are less likely to participate in school, less likely to ask for help, and less likely to report safety concerns.”

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Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David Dewitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com.