LEWISTON — Lewiston, Auburn and the Turner-based school districts are prepared to deal with potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials rounding up illegal immigrants, three district superintendents confirmed Friday.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that federal immigration agencies will be allowed to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals, ending a policy that had protected these locations since 2021. Following this change, area schools are reviewing protocols for potential raids.
According to Lewiston Public Schools’ Superintendent Jake Langlais, any potential raids would be unprecedented at the local level.
“In the past, when we have had interactions with ICE, it has been specific to an individual and has been carried out with all the appropriate documentation and steps,” Langlais said. “We have not had any interactions administratively that were carried out in any way outside of known protocols.”
“Student information at schools is highly protected by established privacy rights. We will follow these laws,” he added.
Since his inauguration on Monday, President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders and policy changes that target new immigration, people who have already immigrated to the U.S. and those who were born here and given citizenship under the 14th Amendment.
The president also changed the federal policy around schools, churches and hospitals, which were previously spaces where immigration officers were not allowed to carry out enforcement. A statement Tuesday from the Department of Homeland Security said customs and border patrol officers will now be allowed to enter those “so-called ‘sensitive’ areas.”
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” it read. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
Lewiston’s step-by-step protocol begins with “welcome the agent,” hinting that should ICE come knocking, agents will be allowed into buildings.
About 38% of Lewiston’s estimated 5,000-plus students are multilingual many of whom come from immigrant backgrounds.
“There are many beliefs about some members of our community and assumptions about papers, status, etc.,” Langlais continued. “We want to be clear — to our knowledge, the families of our school community have gone through various immigration processes that are thorough. There is a real fear amongst many due to a sense of the unknown.”
“Lewistonians are understandably concerned during this time and this has been exacerbated by the rapid spread of misinformation. It’s important to take the time to know your rights,” Lewiston’s Mayor Carl Sheline said in an email Friday.
Across the Androscoggin River in Auburn, many are worried too. “These reported changes may allow ICE to carry out enforcement activities in areas that were previously designated as ‘protected,’ such as schools,” Superintendent Susan Dorris said.
“All children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a public education,” she said. “This right is protected by law and remains a cornerstone of our values as a school district. Additionally, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ensures that student education records are protected. Schools are prohibited from sharing personally identifiable information with immigration officials unless parental consent has been given or a judicial order is provided.”
“We recognize that reports of these potential changes may create feelings of uncertainty and fear within our community,” Dorris said. “Please know that we are committed to maintaining a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for all students,” she added.
“We are prepared to follow the law,” Maine School Administrative District 52 Superintendent Cari Medd said in an email Friday. The district includes Turner, Greene and Leeds.
Molly Curren Rowles, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, said schools are still obligated to continue offering education to all students regardless of immigration status. But with new federal policies creating a chilling effect for immigrant families, she said, school districts should look to create clear procedures for dealing with immigration enforcement, so that teachers and administrators don’t feel like they need to make complicated decisions about status.
“It is really important to try to create structure so that there’s as much protection as possible for people’s sense of trust and sense of safety in these institutions that they need to access,” she said in a Friday interview.
Portland Press Herald writers Riley Board and Grace Benninghoff contributed to this report.
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