Teachers in San Diego have taken to the streets before dawn to monitor immigration enforcement agents, following a surge in arrests near schools. The educators, part of the Association of Raza Educators, drive through residential areas spotting unmarked vehicles and alerting the community via social media and megaphones.
In October, three teachers identified a suspected undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in an unmarked Dodge Durango with tinted windows and a prisoner partition. They reported its movements live, warning parents and students in the Shelltown area.
The patrols come after at least four parents were arrested or detained near schools in San Diego county, including a mother taken during morning drop-off as her children watched. Although US law guarantees free public education regardless of immigration status, recent policy changes have lifted restrictions on arrests near schools.
High school teacher Marysol Duran and colleagues follow agents to deter operations, using walkie-talkies and live translations. Counselor Juan Orozco said fear is high, with some students skipping school. 'We live in a state of fear, and we shouldn’t live like that,' he said.
