Empty New York schools: the reason many students are dropping out of school
Immigrants who stay in hostels are scared of bringing their children to school.
Many immigrant families are choosing not to take their children to school for fear of being reported to the authorities and deported from the United States.
“In the case of us Venezuelans, they took everything away from us, including the protections of the humanitarian parole. All this makes us easy prey to be taken away. Many mothers prefer to stay locked up, for fear of being deported on their way to school”, migrant ‘Paula’ told El Diario NY.
“There are thousands like me. The fear is not that the authorities will enter the school to take the children, because we already know that this is not easy. In my case and my partner’s, we are practically undocumented, we are terrified of being caught in the street. So we have to see what we are going to do with our lives. This is just beginning,” Paula said.
Sources told the same outlet that schools recorded attendance rates between 84% and 89%, compared to 89% and 92% in the same week in 2024.
‘Of course there is panic, they will enter here even faster’
Daily attendance averaged 90% last year but dipped to 85% on Tuesday, January 21 and Wednesday, January 22 before recovering to 89% on Thursday, January 23. These numbers coincide with huge raids on immigrant families in the area.
Another migrant told reporters that “of course there is panic, even more for us who live in shelters. And if [police] can already enter churches and schools, they will enter here even faster.”
In light of the drop in numbers, the authorities have stressed that families will not have their status checked by schools, and that their children should attend, especially during exam periods. “There’s a lot going on” mayor Eric Adams said, “what I’m trying to say to New Yorkers is: let’s not contribute to the anxiety that these kids are feeling. I’ve been very clear: the kids need to go to school.”
The news also comes as police in Nassau (New York State) are set to see their powers increased that will grant them the same authority as federal immigration agents, as well as the ability to request immigration status information from anyone in the street.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican and Trump ally, announced Tuesday that work to detain those who are in the country illegally will be increased in the first project of this scale in the country.
“I want to stress that this program is about illegal migrants who have committed crimes,” said Blakeman. “This isn’t about raids. This is targeted enforcement of our laws based here in the state of New York — people who have committed crimes here and have violated federal laws by being in the United States illegally.”
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