LANSING — Sparks of fear have arisen across Michigan after the Department of Homeland Security rescinded protections that barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from enforcement actions like raids at previously designated “sensitive” areas such as schools and churches.

The recent update under President Donald Trump’s returning administration has left immigrant families, educators and advocates struggling to understand what this change of policy means for students and school safety.

“Unfortunately, we’ve heard a lot of concerns from the community.

There’s a lot of reports of people seeing ICE near or around schools,” said Christine Sauve, the manager of policy & communication at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

She said the center has spoken to many schools to provide guidance in the areas of Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit, among others.

“I don’t think we’d share a list of the schools just to protect their privacy and for their safety, just so we make sure there’s no sort of targeted attacks towards specific schools,” Sauve said.

“Not just from immigration enforcement, but we would also be worried about folks who want to do harm in immigrant communities,” she said.

Students are concerned, too.

“Every day I go to school with the fear that my sister will get picked up and I will be picked up, I should not be worrying about that,” a student told the Grand Rapids Board of Education at a recent meeting.

Since 2011, Homeland Security has classified schools, churches, hospitals and other locations as “sensitive.” The policy, first formalized under the Obama administration, sought to prevent ICE from disrupting educational environments, religious institutions and essential services.

In 2021, under the Biden administration, Homeland Security expanded these protections by establishing additional areas as “protected,” such as playgrounds, child care centers, and social service establishments.

However, those protections are now gone.

As of Jan. 21, Homeland Security rescinded the previous guidelines for ICE and Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions.

Sauve said that removing the policy opens up more concerns and challenges for people who go to those locations for essential needs.

“Our concern is that it could endanger public safety and public health if people are afraid to attend school or go to clinics because now enforcement actions could happen at those locations,” she said.

Michigan Education Association (MEA) press secretary Thomas Morgan said educators should not be placed in the position of enforcing immigration policy.

“It has to be an administrative issue,” he said. “Our parent organization, the National Education Association (NEA), has put out a lot of guidance to make sure superintendents are the ones running point on any of these issues.”

The NEA says the policy change will “lead to fear and upheaval, mass panic in immigrant communities, and will predictably harm school environments including increased absences, decreased student achievement and parental disengagement.”

Morgan said teachers are already overburdened and should not be expected to act as “junior federal officials.”

“Our members already have enough on their plates trying to teach kids,” Morgan said. “We’re referring any of those issues to local school districts to make sure the superintendent is involved.”

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center advises immigrant families to prepare, rather than panic.

“We’re encouraging immigrant students and families to become familiar with their rights and then prepare accordingly,” Sauve said.

Sauve highlighted the importance of parents knowing their rights and for schools having clear protocols in place.

“We’re working directly with school districts to make sure they understand these rights,” she said.

“We also want students and families to be aware that their school cannot share information with ICE without their consent,” she said.

The center has a soon-to-be-published guide, “Student Rights to Education,” detailing the legal protections for students in Michigan, even after the policy change.

With the new administration, immigrant students and their families now face new risks.

“Every family and most of our clients who are undocumented, and those with other kinds of status, always have to make these complicated risk assessments.”

“You know, will I drive without a license? Will I go to this activity in this location?” Sauve said.