Attendance Drops At Chicago Schools In Communities With Increased Immigration Enforcement

Attendance at Mather High School in Chicago dropped by 4 percentage points as fears surrounding the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz escalated. Music teacher Eriq Vazquez reported that many students stayed home due to concerns about ICE agents. This trend mirrors declines in attendance in other immigrant and Latino neighborhoods, where families are avoiding public spaces to mitigate the risk of detention. CPS officials indicated that attendance among English language learners fell by 1. 3 percentage points during the first nine weeks of this school year compared to last year.

Jeff Bartow, executive director of the Southwest Organizing Project, noted the anxiety parents face regarding their children's safety during school drop-off and pick-up times. The attendance decline was more pronounced in communities with large immigrant populations, with 38 of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods experiencing sharper drops. Reports of aggressive enforcement tactics by federal agents have heightened the atmosphere of fear in these communities. Additionally, a Brown University study found significant drops in attendance among English learners in Connecticut since Trump’s inauguration, indicating a broader trend across the nation.