AUSTIN, Texas — Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura will meet with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday.
Segura said he requested a meeting with ICE Deputy Field Office Director Sylvester Ortega to learn how ICE is operating in Central Texas.
Superintendents from other school districts are expected to be a part of the meeting, however, federal authorities haven’t given specifics on the meeting or any recent arrests in the Austin area.
The meeting comes after the Trump administration started allowing arrests at “sensitive locations,” which includes churches and schools, reversing a long-standing policy within the Department of Homeland Security.
In the past, Segura said that Austin ISD would monitor any legal changes that would affect the student experience and that they were committed to fostering trust and open communication with the community. However, since the change, Austin ISD has only said it’s “assessing the impact.”
Austin ISD released resources for the community that detail how undocumented children maintain the same right to attend the district as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. They added that immigration status “does not change our obligation to education.”
KVUE reached out to ICE about the meeting but did not hear back.
Other districts on immigration policy changes
In January, Hays CISD told KVUE that it doesn’t believe it would be directly affected by any immigration enforcement. While it’s confident that none of its staff is undocumented, the district added that it cannot and does not ask students about their immigration status.
Manor ISD released detailed plans for outside law enforcement which involve working with the agent or officer and making copies of any paperwork for an attorney to review.
Del Valle ISD provided the community with a list of frequently asked questions related to federal policy changes, adding that Del Valle ISD police would not act as immigration officials and that all students, including undocumented ones, could receive free meals with the district.
IDEA Public Schools said it does not differentiate how it engages law enforcement agencies, including ICE. Student information is protected by law and access to students is limited without parental consent, unless there are special circumstances.