Category Archives: Immigration

White House visa fee hike could weaken California’s teacher pipeline | EdSource

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By Diana Lambert

A White House decision to add $100,000 to the price of a work visa, allowing employers to hire from overseas for hard-to-fill positions, has California’s technology industry and other businesses reeling. But another group is also on edge: the state’s schools.

California employs more teachers on H-1B visas than any state except Texas and North Carolina, according to a National Education Association analysis of federal data. Last fiscal year, 506 U.S. school districts employed 2,300 H-1B visa holders.

The demand for the visas from California school districts has grown over the last seven years as the state’s schools, facing teacher shortages, have turned to overseas teachers to help fill openings.

Source: White House visa fee hike could weaken California’s teacher pipeline | EdSource

Immigration Enforcement Legislative Update – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond celebrated the signing of Assembly Bill 49 (Muratsuchi) and Senate Bill 98 (Perez) into law today by Governor Newsom, two bills co-sponsored by Superintendent Thurmond that seek to keep immigration enforcement off of school campuses and ensure appropriate family notification if immigration agents are present at a schoolsite.

Since spring 2025, impacts of immigration enforcement on California schools have included incidents in which federal agents set off flashbang grenades within earshot of schoolyards, urinated on a playground in broad daylight, asked for direct contact with young children without a warrant or parent permission, and used school drop-off as an opportunity to detain parents.

“I am proud to have sponsored and supported the passage of AB 49 and SB 98 to keep ICE and immigration enforcement away from our school campuses without a judge’s authorization,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “The reckless actions of the Trump administration have sown fear and trauma throughout California school communities. As the son and grandson of immigrants, I am proud to stand with our immigrant communities to ensure school campuses are safe and accessible to all families.“

Source: Immigration Enforcement Legislative Update – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

SPI Presents SB 48 Immigration Bill – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

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Amid growing fear and tension among immigrant families and advocates nationwide, California Department of Education (CDE) State Superintendent Tony Thurmond presented a bill, Senate Bill 48 (Gonzalez), that will limit the presence of ICE agents on school campuses. Also today, Superintendent Thurmond hosted a webinar to promote the expansion of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs across California, affirming the importance of preparing students to succeed, compete, and lead in a multilingual, global economy.

SB 48, authored by Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez (D-33), is sponsored by Thurmond to 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. The bill is in direct protest to President Trump’s threats to lead mass deportation efforts at schools and houses of worship.

“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. 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.

Source: SPI Presents SB 48 Immigration Bill – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

Vallejo committee gets updates on immigration and public safety – JohnGlidden.com

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By John Glidden

About 40 percent of the Vallejo school district student population didn’t show up to class during ‘A day without immigrants’ national protest held on Monday, February 3, in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

The attendance information was shared by Vallejo City Unified School District Superintendent Rubén Aurelio at a special meeting of the 2×2 Committee held this week. The committee is an opportunity for the city and school district to work together on shared issues.

Source: Vallejo committee gets updates on immigration and public safety – JohnGlidden.com

SCC Board discuss immigration policy, sanctuary campus status – Times Herald Online

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By Nick McConnell

Jessica Gonzalez, vice chairperson of the Vallejo Latino Parents Network, succinctly summarized her feelings on the response of academic institutions to the Trump Administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement at a meeting of the Solano Community College Board Wednesday evening.

“Silence is loud,” she said.

The board discussed a California Attorney General report titled “Promoting a Safe and Secure Campus for All,” which outlines how higher education institutions can comply with SB 54, the California Values Act. No action was taken, but the board did give direction to bring back a policy of not cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a proclamation declaring the school a “Sanctuary Campus.”

Source: SCC Board discuss immigration policy, sanctuary campus status – Times Herald Online

SCC campus safety chief issues advisory about immigration enforcement – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

News reports and images of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ arrests of immigrants across the country, handcuffed and loaded into vans or onto Air Force planes, have created anxiety and concern among some students at Solano Community College, school officials say.

But to calm fears, Mike Rowe, public information officer for the college’s Department of Public Safety in Fairfield, pointed out Monday’s social media post by Brian H. Travis, chief of the SCC District’s DPS.

Source: SCC campus safety chief issues advisory about immigration enforcement – The Vacaville Reporter

Vallejo immigrant community: Remain calm, get informed – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Janis Mara

In late January, Mina Loera-Diaz, a former Vallejo vice-mayor and longtime immigrant activist, began receiving frantic calls and messages in response to social media posts about purported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the city.

It turned out that the alleged actions hadn’t taken place, but were rumors that spread in reaction to recent ICE operations elsewhere in the Bay Area in line with President Trump’s stated goals of cracking down on undocumented immigration.

Source: Vallejo immigrant community: Remain calm, get informed, stay united – The Vacaville Reporter