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Immigration Support Resources

California Attorney General Office Guidance

Rights at a Glance

  • Right to a Free Public Education: All children have a right to equal access to free public education, regardless of their or their parents’/guardians’ immigration status.
  • Information Required for School Enrollment: Schools must accept a variety of documents from the student’s parent or guardian to demonstrate proof of child’s age or residency and schools are not required to keep a copy of the document used as proof of a child’s age.
  • Confidentiality of Personal Information: Federal and state laws protect student education records and personal information. These laws generally require that schools obtain written consent from parents or guardians before releasing student information, unless the release of information is for educational purposes, is already public, or is in response to a court order or subpoena.

 

Complete Guides 

 

Additional Resources

County of Santa Clara Office of Immigration Relations (OIR): OIR has served as a leading resource that has helped local governments and other entities to understand the issues, needs, and contributions of immigrants. OIR has worked with local agencies on immigrant integration programs and to prepare hundreds of community members for civic engagement and cross-cultural understanding. 

Immigrant Legal Resource Center: The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit resource center that provides immigration legal trainings, technical assistance, and educational materials, and engages in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights.
 

 

California Immigrant Guide: California funds programs at community based organizations that help immigrants and refugees who live in California. The programs offer many types of free legal services, as well as information about other services that support immigrants. These organizations can teach you about your rights and some can also give legal advice on how to change your immigration status.
 

 

Immigrant Defense Project: IDP engages in targeted litigation, primarily before the federal courts, in support of challenges to deportations and other adverse immigration consequences based on criminal convictions and arrests. By supporting litigants before the Supreme Court and Circuit Courts of Appeals, we seek to create good law through the judiciary to help immigrants remain in the United States with their communities and families.
 

Santa Clara County Office of Education Resources : The Santa Clara County Office of Education created this webpage to share information prepared by non-profit organizations that provide assistance to attorneys and community-based advocates that work with immigrants around the country.

En Espanol:

California Department of Social Services: The mission of the CDSS is to serve, aid, and protect needy and vulnerable children and adults in ways that strengthen and preserve families, encourage personal responsibility, and foster independence. CDSS is comprised of more than 4,200 employees who are responsible for the oversight and administration of programs serving California's most vulnerable residents.


 

Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Immigration Resources: The following resources provided by the state of California are available to help school leaders and families affected by immigration enforcement.
 

 

California School Boards Legal Guidance Handbook: This legal guidance is intended to give governing boards clarity regarding their
responsibilities under federal and state immigration law. This guidance provides information about current law and policy as of December 2024. 

Legal and Policy Resources

Penal Code 626.7: Allows administrator or designee to remove a person from campus who is causing a disruption
AB 49: Introduced by Asm Muratsuchi to prohibit ICE from school campuses
ACSA Immigration Enforcement Resource Hub:  ​ACSA has compiled the following resources to help school leaders respond to potential immigration enforcement impacting students and families in California K-12 public schools.
BP/AR 5145.3: Non-discrimination / Harassment
BP/AR 5145.9: Hate-Motivated Behavior
BP/AR 5111.1: District Residency
BP/AR 0415: Equity

Educator Resources

What to do if an immigration-enforcement officer comes to your school: If the officer does not declare that exigent circumstances exist, respond according to the requirements of the officer’s documentation. If the immigration-enforcement officer has:

  • an ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) administrative warrant or a subpoena for production of documents or other evidence, inform the officer that you cannot consent to any request without first consulting with the local educational agency’s legal counsel or other designated administrator.
  • a federal judicial warrant (search-and-seizure warrant or arrest warrant), prompt compliance with such a warrant is usually legally required. If feasible, consult with your legal counsel or designated local educational agency administrator before providing the officer access to the person or materials specified in the warrant.

Scams/False Ads

Information about false ads and scams that are illegal including coming to your door to warn families about not falling for claims that they can get citizenship or legal status quickly: