ICE Chief Admits That School Campuses Are Not Off-Limits for Agents

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons has acknowledged that federal immigration agents could enter school campuses under certain circumstances despite growing concern among educators, parents, and local officials.

In an interview with NBC News, Lyons said parents in Washington, D.C. should not expect ICE officers to appear at schools when classes resume this week. Still, he stressed that campuses are not off-limits and that officers may enter the premises if they are attempting to locate children who crossed the border as unaccompanied minors and whose last known address is tied to a school, or if an "exigent circumstance" arises.

"We want to use our special agents and our officers to go ahead and locate these individuals," Lyons told NBC News. "If we haven't [located them], and the last known address was at a school, we just want to make sure that child is safe. If we have the opportunity to reunite that parent with that child, that's what we want to do."

Lyons also confirmed ICE would respond to emergencies involving violence on campuses.

The discussion around immigration enforcement coincides with heightened federal activity in the nation's capital and it's impact on the new school year which began on Monday .D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed concerns raised by immigrant families on Wednesday about whether ICE could target parents or students as schools reopen.

"I think people who have that concern for themselves personally, and for all of us who are concerned for them and their safety, are making adjustments," she told reporters. D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith added that federal officers executing warrants in the city is not new, but acknowledged there is now "an enhanced presence."

The debate over ICE's authority on campuses has intensified since the Trump administration rescinded the "sensitive locations" earlier this year, which had largely shielded schools, hospitals, and houses of worship from enforcement actions.

In March, the Council of Great City Schools—representing 78 large urban districts—warned in a court filing that the end of the policy has led to rising absenteeism, student anxiety, and reduced parental involvement. In Denver, attendance dropped sharply after a February immigration raid near two apartment buildings, according to local school leaders.