Santa Ana Unified School District has suspended all summer field trips for a third consecutive week due to ongoing federal immigration raids in the area.
“Please note that no schools, school programs, or district-affiliated activities have been targeted by federal agents — and we do not expect them to be,” district spokesperson Fermin Leal said. “However, there have been enforcement-related disruptions in neighborhoods within our district.”
The decision, made weekly by district administrators along with the extended learning team, summer principals and the superintendent’s office, will be re-evaluated again next Monday, Leal said.
“We believe it’s in the best interest of our students to keep all summer activities on campus for now,” he said.
The move comes as immigration sweeps by federal agents continue across Orange County, with the National Guard stationed in downtown Santa Ana and some businesses there reporting sharp drops in sales and foot traffic.
“They’re scared that they’ll come home to nobody,” Diana Lopez, a psychologist in the school district, said of her students at a recent City Council meeting where hundreds of residents demanded the mayor take a stronger stance on the raids. “Some of our students have never left the city and these field trips matter to them, but the fear of deportation is very big right now.”
The Garden Grove Unified School District last week launched a helpline staffed by bilingual school liaisons to connect families with legal and social service organizations, food resources and emotional support.
Walter Muneton, a Garden Grove Unified board member, said the helpline is designed for families who may be afraid to leave home to access resources.
“There is a fear of stepping outside of your home and going from point A to point B,” Muneton said. “So if we are able to provide a resource via telephone, we can assist our families so they can access resources and not have to physically step foot from their home.”
The line will be staffed in Spanish and Vietnamese from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Support in Arabic and Korean is available upon request.
“There isn’t legal advice happening on the phone,” Muneton said. “What this helpline is for is that emotional support, that guidance, and we’re providing a case management perspective to link them to our own trusted partners.”
“Right now there’s just so much information out therem” Muneton added, “that we just want to take the headache away from them and give them directly what they need.”
The district’s helpline can be reached at 714-663-6257.