Denver Public Schools (DPS) has ordered staff to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from campus, in anticipation of President Donald Trump‘s tough immigration policies.

Newsweek has contacted ICE for further comment via email.

Why It Matters

A promise to expel millions of undocumented migrants was at the core of Trump’s campaign to win back the White House. The order in Denver fuels up a growing divide between sanctuary cities and the Trump administration, which will likely become a burning issue over the next four years.

What To Know

“Do not allow entry into the building,” the memo from the DPS superintendent reads. “Place the school on secure perimeter” and use an “intercom to communicate” with immigration enforcement officials, per the memo.

Aurora Public Schools advised its staff through a memo to “politely inform federal agents the district has a process regarding requests to talk with students.”

The district also stated, “There’s no indication there will be immigration action in APS schools.”

It comes after ICE under Trump announced that agents will now be permitted to enter “sensitive areas,” including schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

Meanwhile, a school district in Connecticut is defying Trump’s order to send ICE agents to sensitive locations. Bridgeport Public Schools announced on Tuesday it was sticking to previous guidelines designed to protect students in the event of an attempted raid by ICE agents at any of its schools.

The ICE policy requiring agents to obtain prior approval before making arrests in sensitive locations was introduced in 2011 through a memo from then-Director John Morton. This policy remained in effect throughout the Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration.

Under the policy, ICE agents were permitted to enter sensitive locations, such as schools, churches, and hospitals, only under specific circumstances.

These included addressing national security or terrorism threats, apprehending dangerous felons, preventing imminent risks of death or injury, or safeguarding evidence in a criminal investigation from being destroyed.

Agents were required to secure approval from their superiors before carrying out arrests in these sensitive locations.

What People Are Saying

John Fabbricatore, a former ICE field office director and Heritage Foundation traveling fellow, told NewsNation: “ICE agents have targeted cases that they’re going to be going after right now. We’re talking about criminal illegal aliens. We’re talking about final order cases. ICE has no reason or want to go into an elementary school, junior high or high school.”

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman said in a statement: “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”

What Happens Next

ICE has yet to release any public information regarding immigration enforcement raids under the second Trump administration, leaving many communities and institutions anxious. However, the guidelines set by Denver Public Schools indicate a growing concern among institutions about the potential impact of such enforcement actions on immigrant families.

As the policy shift unfolds, it is expected that more school districts across the country will establish further protections for immigrant communities in sensitive locations.