Contact: crp@ucla.edu

For release: January 26, 2026

In a new article published by “Voices in Education,” CRP Fellow Jongyeon Joy Ee and CRP Co-director Patricia Gándara describe the strikingly harmful impacts of immigration enforcement on children and schools. Findings from the most recent research are cited throughout their article. 

When Immigration Enforcement Enters the Classroom:
Restoring Safety, Connection, and Hope

January 9, 2026|  Voices in Education Blog
By Jongyeon Joy Ee and Patricia Gándara

Every morning across the United States, children arrive at school carrying very different fears.

Some worry about spelling tests or whether anyone will sit with them at lunch. Others worry about whether their parents will still be home when they return from class.

For roughly 6 million K–12 students who live in families where at least one member is undocumented, those worries are not abstract. Most of these students are U.S. citizens, but their daily lives are deeply affected by the insecure status of their parents or family members.

Fear enters the classroom long before an officer ever sets foot on campus—and it lingers long after.

Read the complete article HERE.

About the authors:  Dr. Jongyeon Joy Ee is associate professor in the Department of Teaching Learning, Loyola Marymount University; Dr. Patricia Gándara is co-director of the UCLA Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles and UCLA research professor of education.

###