Early-childhood providers are urging that federal immigration agents be kept out of Head Start centers, pre-K programs and child-care sites, saying the rollback of a "sensitive locations" policy has led to alarming encounters that disrupt classrooms and frighten families. Interviews with Illinois providers—hit by Operation Midway Blitz—detail growing fear and reduced participation in services. The briefing also highlights an FBI probe into an L.A. schools AI contract, a House push on minors' online safety, a severe school-related criminal sentence in Colorado, and several contentious state education developments.
Head Start vs. Homeland Security: Early-Education Providers Demand ICE Be Barred From Classrooms
Advocates for early-childhood programs are calling for federal immigration agents to be excluded from Head Start centers, pre-K classrooms and child-care sites after encounters that providers say have endangered young children, families and staff.
Why providers are alarmed
Programs and advocates say these sites were once treated as "sensitive locations," where enforcement actions were generally limited. That formal protection was rolled back under the Trump administration, and providers report a rise in frightening interactions with immigration officers since the change. In interviews with early-education staff in Illinois — a state that experienced the administration’s Operation Midway Blitz last fall — caregivers described heightened anxiety among families, disruptions to classrooms and chilling effects on participation in crucial early-learning programs.
Federal immigration agents chased a day care worker into Rayito de Sol, the Chicago center where she works, and dragged her out in front of children before arresting her. The November incident is one of many fueling this week’s demands to keep agents away from Head Start, child care and pre-K classrooms. (Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
What reporters found
For this report, conducted while covering for a colleague, I spoke with multiple Head Start and child-care professionals who recounted instances of officers entering or lingering near sites, questioning staff and parents, and causing families to avoid necessary services out of fear. Educators say these encounters undermine trust, harm children's sense of safety and can interrupt learning and care for the most vulnerable students.
Related Education And School-Safety Headlines
FBI Probe Into L.A. Schools' AI Contract
The FBI is investigating a failed AI chatbot contract in Los Angeles. A January 2023 meeting invite obtained by The 74 suggests senior district staff met with AllHere principals at district headquarters months before the contract was approved, raising questions about procurement and the role of schools chief Alberto Carvalho. Carvalho has denied wrongdoing after FBI searches of his home and office; he has been placed on paid leave while authorities probe related records and subpoenas.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice/The 74, Genaro Molina/Getty
Kids' Online Safety Bill Heads To House
A bipartisan bill requiring online platforms to implement safeguards for minors has advanced to a House vote. The measure would mandate "easy-to-use parental tools" and limit addictive design features, though some Democrats say it leaves a significant loophole for Big Tech.
Criminal Sentencing In School Safety Case
A former school security supervisor in Lakewood, Colorado, was sentenced to 18 years to life for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student. Prosecutors said the officer abused a position of trust, manipulating and harming a teen he was supposed to protect.
States Step In On Special Education Complaints
With federal civil-rights offices facing backlogs, Colorado lawmakers unanimously approved expanding the state education department’s authority to hear complaints related to disability accommodations — part of a broader trend of states filling gaps left by federal staffing cuts.
Other State-Level Developments
Virginia passed a law directing schools to teach the Jan. 6 attack as "an unprecedented, violent attack on U.S. democratic institutions" rather than a peaceful protest. In Texas, nearly two dozen Islamic private schools were excluded from a new $1 billion voucher program amid allegations of ties to terrorist groups, prompting a lawsuit alleging discrimination. And in Hawaiʻi, a $7 million effort to equip schools with panic-button technology largely failed to roll out, with only one school reportedly installed and not using the system.
Brief Notes
Other updates include immigrant children in government custody suing over detainment, continuing changes at the Education Department that affect family engagement and school-safety work, a Supreme Court ruling in favor of parents in a California gender-identity case, and debate over phone-free school models and student autonomy.
Personal note: Jebby, my handsome cockapoo, is thrilled to shed his jacket and booties and enjoy the spring air.
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