Some McHenry County schools declare themselves ‘safe spaces’ for immigrant students amid Trump ICE crackdown

At least two local school districts and McHenry County College have released statements declaring their schools to be safe spaces for all students in response to promises by President Donald Trump of widespread deportation of immigrants.

Woodstock School District 200, Cary School District 26 and MCC have released formal statements saying they welcome all students and vowing to protect undocumented students at their schools.

MCC posted a video last week titled “You’re Not Alone,” which featured college President Clinton Gabbard speaking about how the “current cultural climate” may be affecting undocumented students and students who identify as nonbinary or LGBTQ+.

“We worry that if you’re an undocumented student or have a friend or a family member who are undocumented, you may be experiencing deep worries about even being a member of our community or coming on our campus to learn, to gain skills or earn a degree,” Gabbard said in the video.

Christina Haggerty, the college’s vice president of marketing, communications and development, said staff visited classes to tell students “that they are all welcome at MCC” and to share resources of support staff to whom students can reach out, including employees in the areas of student advocacy and mental health, as well as an “undocumented student liaison.” The community college also listed a coordinator of student diversity and inclusion, a concept that’s also a target of Trump, who has signed an executive order to dismantle all federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and staff.

Woodstock-based Community Unit School District 200 Superintendent Mike Moan released a statement titled “We remain committed to mission to inspire, empower all students.”

“Recent changes in immigration enforcement have added another layer of complexity for some within our school community,” Moan said in the statement. “We want to assure our families and students that our commitment to the proper treatment and dignity of all of our students, staff and community members remains steadfast and does not shift with challenges that could create burdens for our students and families.”

Moan said in the statement that District 200 staff is “committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students” while acknowledging the politically charged opinions behind immigrant enforcement.

“While it isn’t our role to impose particular viewpoints, we have a duty to respect different perspectives while upholding state and federal laws,” he said in the statement. “Not all families share the same beliefs on all issues, but there is nothing political about insisting on treating one another with respect and dignity.”

In response to the Trump administration’s new policy that places like schools and churches are no longer off-limits for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the District 26 board took on a resolution in January declaring their buildings will remain safe zones. Superintendent of Schools Brandon White said the resolution means the district will remain a place for students to learn and thrive and to seek assistance, information and support without fear of disruption.

He added that while he feels it’s unlikely federal immigration officers will show up at the schools, all of the district’s buildings will be made aware of the procedure to direct any federal law officers to the administration office, where, with legal counsel, they will navigate the matter to protect the private information of its students and staff, while remaining in legal compliance, White said.

For decades, a landmark decision has been in place holding that states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education based on their immigration status.

Board members expressed the need for students to continue to feel safe in their schools so there are no disruptions to their education.

“We just want to make sure that our families know that if they find themselves in a situation dealing with immigration, or any other situation, that our schools are a place of safety and resources to aid at a time of crisis,” White said.

The extent of ICE activity in McHenry County since Trump’s inauguration is unclear. The Department of Homeland Security was confirmed by local authorities to have been in Crystal Lake in late January. DHS was “conducting an investigation at a residence in Crystal Lake” on Jan. 28, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann confirmed, adding no further details were known by local police and they did not assist in the investigation.

ICE is part of Homeland Security along with other agencies responsible for public security in areas such as cybersecurity, border control, terrorism prevention and human trafficking, according to the department’s website.

The McHenry-based Mazatecutli Foundation reported hearing of “increased ICE activity” in Crystal Lake and McHenry, as well as in other northwest suburban towns including Round Lake, Elgin and Palatine, programs associate Ivan Diaz said. The nonprofit provides programs and services for immigrants and descendants of immigrants.

In light of recent ICE sightings, the Mazatecutli Foundation created a “know your rights” flier for people who are stopped by ICE officers.

About 10% of McHenry County’s estimated 310,000 residents were not born in the U.S. Of those, about 59% are naturalized citizens, while 41% are not, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Not being naturalized does not necessarily mean a person does not have legal status to be in the U.S., as they could be going through the process of becoming a legal citizen.

McHenry County Sheriff Robb Tadelman previously said that state law limits his office’s ability to work with ICE on the mass deportations that President Donald Trump has promised.

The Illinois Trust Act prohibits local and state law enforcement from searching, arresting or detaining a person simply because of their immigration status. Another Illinois law, the Illinois Way Forward Act, went into effect 2022 and prohibits ICE immigrant detention.