Immigration Enforcement Creates Climate of Fear in Connecticut Classrooms
In New Haven, Connecticut, a growing atmosphere of apprehension surrounding immigration enforcement is significantly disrupting the education of immigrant students. The detention of Esdras, an 18-year-old student from Wilbur Cross High School, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in July 2025 has become a symbol of the broader crisis affecting schools across the district.
"They Took Her": The Human Cost of Immigration Policies
Cora Muñoz, assistant principal at Wilbur Cross High School, vividly recalls the distressing phone call from a student's guardian. "They took her, they took her, they took her," the caller sobbed, revealing that immigration enforcement agents had detained another student from the school. This incident represents just one of many that have created what educators describe as a pervasive climate of fear within New Haven's educational institutions.
The consequences of this environment are measurable and concerning. Between fall 2024 and fall 2025, English language learner enrollment dropped by more than 2,000 students across Connecticut, representing a decline of nearly 3.8%. In New Haven specifically, where approximately one in six residents is foreign-born, the decrease was even more pronounced at 7.3%. Many immigrant families who were expected to return to school have simply disappeared from the system.
Proactive Measures and Persistent Anxieties
New Haven Public Schools have implemented comprehensive strategies to protect their diverse student population. Superintendent Madeline Negrón developed a district-wide policy requiring legal verification of valid warrants before ICE officers could enter school buildings. The district has trained all 2,900 employees—from teachers to custodians—in this protocol.
"Without that, nobody, no one, is going to walk through my doors. Because my obligation is to keep every single one of my children safe," Negrón emphasized in a letter to parents.
Despite these protective measures, the psychological impact on students remains profound. Darwin, an 18-year-old Guatemalan student who has lived in New Haven for two years, expressed the anxiety shared by many of his peers: "I live with fear. Sometimes I don't even want to attend school because it makes me afraid to go out of the house."
Educational Disruption and Emotional Toll
The effects extend beyond attendance statistics. Teachers report observing significant behavioral changes among immigrant students. Fatima Nouchkioui, an English as a second language teacher at Wilbur Cross' international academy, noted: "I've seen a lot more sadness, and I've seen a lot more students, who are good students, skipping classes. And it's for no reason except that they just have too much going on emotionally to make them go to their classes."
Students are adjusting their academic aspirations in response to the uncertain environment. Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of Connecticut Students for a Dream, has noticed decreased participation in college access programs as students question the value of pursuing higher education when their future in the country remains uncertain.
Community Response and Ongoing Challenges
School staff have become frontline responders to immigration enforcement actions. When a mother was detained while driving her two U.S. citizen children to school in June, staff at Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy fundraised for grocery gift cards and wrote support letters for her immigration case. Despite their efforts, she was deported to Mexico approximately one month later.
Principal Adela Jorge described the ongoing trauma for the younger sibling: "He's not able to understand what happened. All he knows is that his mother was taken."
The situation creates a ripple effect throughout the educational community. Matt Brown, principal of Wilbur Cross High School, expressed frustration with the targeting of students: "They're our kids, and they're being detained in these cages. And the day before, they were eating pizza in our cafeteria."
Broader Implications for Educational Equity
Julie Sugarman, associate director for K-12 education research at the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, contextualized the Connecticut situation within national trends. "We are definitely hearing anecdotally that there are kids not going to school," she noted, emphasizing the long-term educational consequences of missed instruction.
"Obviously, losing a whole year of education or however long they're not in school, they are missing out on opportunities to develop their content knowledge, to learn literacy, to develop English, and also to develop academic skills in their native language," Sugarman explained.
As immigration enforcement actions continue to create uncertainty, New Haven educators remain committed to supporting their students while navigating an increasingly challenging environment. The district's experience serves as a case study in how immigration policies directly impact educational access and outcomes in diverse communities.
