Miami-Dade schools on edge amid rumors of immigration raids, teacher deportation
President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration are causing anxiety in the Miami-Dade school system.
This week rumors were flying about Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers appearing at two schools, a middle school and a high school.
Then news of a science teacher who taught at a magnet middle school being deported also caused feelings of stress and uncertainty, according to United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats.
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Hernandez-Mats dispelled those rumors at a press conference Thursday, confirming that there have been no immigration raids, and encouraging parents to continue sending their children to school.
“Because the anxiety level is so high, rumors spread like wildfire,” she said.
She also clarified that the cause of the rumors was Miami-Dade schools police officers conducting a normal metal detector sweep, not immigration enforcement officials.
But students are on edge anyway.
The union leader said she has heard from some teachers that students in certain places around the district are not showing up to class.
In other parts of the state, there have been reports of anxious parents bringing their immigration documentation to schools and asking them to add that to their child’s record.
One student at the high school where a rumor that ICE had arrived said that “everyone thought that they were going to come.”
“I was worried,” said the student. “I know a lot of people at my school and friends outside are not documented.”
Another student told the Miami Herald that they heard over announcements that there was nothing the principal of the school could do to stop immigration agents from coming inside the school.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not allowed to enter schools without a federal warrant signed by a judge.
But the fear is palpable. “Kids are scared; parents are scared to take their kids to school,” said Hernandez-Mats.
Read more: Miami-Dade schools brace for potential immigration stings. Here’s what you need to know
A science teacher deported causes panic
On Thursday, Hernandez-Mats confirmed that a middle school science teacher in Miami-Dade had been detained by immigration officials.
Hernandez-Mats said the teacher had stopped showing up to teach his classes, and that after a few days, the administration of the school reached out to his family and learned that federal immigration officials had detained him.
Hernandez-Mats said the students at his school were devastated to learn that their teacher had been detained and began thinking that if this could happen to their teacher it could happen to them.
The union later clarified that he was detained about three weeks ago, which would mean it happened before Trump’s immigration policies were announced.
A source with insider knowledge at the school district says the teacher may have been held in Louisiana and was likely deported to Honduras. He may have had either Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA.
DACA is a program for people who came to the United States as children — it defers their removal and offers them a work authorization, which they must renew every 2 years.
However, the Miami Herald was unable to independently verify the teacher’s immigration status.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools says all employees are authorized to work using E-Verify, the federal system for verifying work eligibility. They declined to comment further.
Hernandez-Mats said that the United Teachers of Dade Union sent a letter to the immigration judge who had ordered the deportation on behalf of the teacher but has not received a response.
District response weak
After Trump’s immigration executive orders came out, the school district issued a statement saying it is assessing their impact and ensuring compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations.
Jose Dotres, the superintendent of schools for Miami-Dade, has not made a public statement on immigration or spoken up to quiet any of the rumors that were circulating. Miami-Dade Public Schools says a list of resources of local nonprofits that deal with immigration was sent to school principals and can be distributed to parents.
The lack of communication from the district made it incumbent upon the teachers union and School Board members to dispel the rumors.
Luisa Santos, of District 9, and other board members have helped spread information, including sharing “know your rights” resources on social media.
Steve Gallon III, of District 1, said he doesn’t think it’s the district role to instruct families on how to navigate the immigration process, which falls outside of the scope or expertise of the district.
But Gallon and School Board member Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall plan to speak at an event later in the month in collaboration with the Haitian Lawyers Association. The event will give a legal orientation on recent immigration-policy changes.
Miami-Dade’s previous superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, had taken a strong public stance in favor of protecting students.
“Over my dead body will any federal entity enter our schools to take immigration actions against our kids,” he was reported saying in 2017 after then-President Trump introduced immigration measures.
Carvalho is now the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which has a large population of immigrant students.
The School Board in Los Angeles has adopted resolutions to support parent seminars, the distribution of “Know Your Rights” cards, and peer-to-peer support groups. It also provided support for employees who are immigrants.
“The world as they know it is shaking under their feet,” said Carvalho.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 9:03 PM.
