California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced Wednesday that he will present a bill that aims to limit the presence of ICE agents on school campuses.
Under President Trump’s executive order, ICE is now allowed to target migrants at sensitive locations, like schools and churches, for arrests and potential deportations.
Senate Bill 48, authored by State Senate Lena Gonzalez (D- Long Beach) and sponsored by Thurmond, will “address safety concerns of immigrant families and protect school funding that is projected to decline in some parts of the state as attendance is suppressed as undocumented individuals fear deportation consequences at school,” a news release said.
“We know that the fearmongering happening across our nation has disruptive impacts on children in our immigrant families, and it could cost California schools millions of dollars,” Thurmond said in a statement. California is one of a handful of states that still uses an average daily attendance system for attributing funding or the loss of funding to schools.”
The bill is in direct protest to Trump’s calls to lead mass deportation efforts at schools and houses of worship.
In February, Angelenos held protests in response to Trump’s crackdown on immigration and emphasis on deportation.