"Undeniable harm": When ICE comes to town, students stay home

President Trump's immigration crackdowns have triggered dramatic spikes in student absences across major school systems, with Charlotte-Mecklenburg recording a 15% absence rate during ICE's "Charlotte's Web" operation and Chicago experiencing roughly 3,200 additional absent students daily compared to prior years. A Stanford University study found school absenteeism jumped more than 20% in California's Central Valley during early ICE and Border Patrol raids, while Minneapolis educators reported federal agents disrupting operations by pulling over school buses. More than 70 House Democrats wrote to Education Secretary Linda McMahon stating that "ICE tactics are causing undeniable harm to students — harm that will likely lead to years of trauma in school communities." The departures suggest Trump's intimidation strategy is prompting entire families, including those with legal U.S. residents, to leave communities entirely. A DHS spokesperson countered that ICE is "not going to schools to arrest children" and accused the agency of protecting students by preventing criminals from hiding in schools.