DPS and ICE: Responses and the Evolving Landscape
- East Spotlight Newspaper
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
by Jada Pulsipher and Ella Burrell
The week of January 30th, 2026, students in period 3 AP Drawing and Painting at East High School did not work on their portfolios, but instead, they self-assigned a different sort of project. Students marked red slashes through drawings of ice cubes and contemplated what sort of messages must be heard. That Friday, instead of regular instruction, the school was empty, the halls creaked with a quietness that East High School is all too familiar with. Students, teachers, activists, and community members made a statement on January 30st, protesting the recent activity of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) department of the federal government. This loud advocacy is the community's urge for a change, and it can't be silenced.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal agency that “enforces immigration laws and conducts investigations into undocumented immigration”(BBC). The agency was formed in 2002, as a division of the larger Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in order to combat terrorism following 9/11. As a key part of his political agenda, Donald Trump promised large-scale and aggressive immigration enforcements, during his 2024 presidential campaign. Shortly after Trump’s election, the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill ensured that roughly $75 billion, out of the additional $170 billion allotted to DHS over the next 4 years, would be given to ICE, who typically receives only $10 billion. Reports from PBS claim that in addition to the nearly doubled annual funding, ICE’s recruitment plan, which included administering $50,000 signing bonuses, doubled the force to 22,000 officers.
In the United States the state of personal liberties in other countries is largely under-publicized. The United States ranked 19th out of 195 countries on the Human Freedom Index, so ICE having a violent and authoritarian presence in communities has been a shock. Most recently, multiple altercations have contributed to a nationwide outrage over hostile ICE procedures being carried out specifically in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Recent media coverage has highlighted the brutalities that resulted in the murder of Alex Pretti, a 37 year old ICU nurse, on January 24th and Renee Good, a 37 year old mother of 3. Al Jeezera reports that as of January 27th, 7 people have died at the hands of ICE or while in ICE’s custody. Autopsies determined 4 of these deaths, including Alex Pretti’s, were homicides though the responsible officers have yet to be held responsible.
In early 2025, Denver Public Schools became the first public school district to file a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, requesting that federal immigration agents be blocked from making arrests at sensitive locations including, “schools, churches, healthcare facilities and other places where families might congregate out in public.” According to Denver7, in the lawsuit DPS alleged it had been “hindered in fulfilling its mission” as a result of the fear caused by federal policy that allowed aggressive immigration enforcement around school campuses. The case specifically addressed a February ICE raid of the Cedar Run Apartments claiming that the presence of armed federal agents outside of the complex blocked traffic from nearby schools and subsequently decreased attendance. On the other hand, DHS argued policy surrounding sensitive locations hadn't changed exceptionally since the 2021 federal guidelines similarly, “allowed immigration officers, such as ICE officers, to conduct protected-area enforcement actions if they obtained approval from designated officials” (Denver7). The judge ultimately ruled in favor of DHS, claiming that since DPS hadn’t experienced on campus immigration raids the potential harm was indirect and insubstantial.
In spite of a general lack of ICE presence in Denver Public Schools, concern still resonates within students, staff, and board members. On the day of the recent protest, Superintendent Alex Marrero sent out an email message, saying the schools will continue to be in session, and will only change according to the needs of individual schools. Some might have found this discouraging, the superintendent not cancelling school for something that the community feels strongly about. However, at-large board member, and retired school principal, John Youngquist, explained that he understands that attendance is important, but the truth is, “Where our young people feel the need to be heard and have that need to be heard, our job is to be supportive of that voice in whatever way that it takes.”
Denver Public Schools has strong and direct policies on ICE and has since September of 2019. This was when DPS’s policy, Policy: JIH, was last revised, and it states that “the District’s Office of the General Counsel will not provide access to District property or students unless required by law and will do everything in the District’s lawful power to protect the constitutional and legal rights of the District’s students. Immigration Officials shall generally not be granted access to District property or students without a valid search warrant or exigent circumstances.” Furthermore, in a letter from Alex Marrero, “federal immigration law enforcement activities are not permitted at our schools, on transportation routes, on DPS property, or during school activities unless they have a lawful search warrant or exigent circumstances”.
Sia has been on the DPS Board of Education since 2023, when she was elected for District 1. Sia noted that there are no existing policy changes in motion with DPS’s policies on ICE, and the strict protections will remain in place. Similarly to Youngquist and Pettit, Sia agreed with the strong push for a change, and supported the National Shutdown on Friday, January 30th along with students participation in it. When asked how students can continue to help garner a transformation, Sia explained, “[Continue] doing exactly what you're doing, reaching out to elected officials. At the school level, right, like at the school board level, we can definitely impact and affect change for DPS. But for some of these larger issues, particularly, you know, I saw photos of folks who, who did go to the protest on Friday, who went to the Capitol and were meeting with legislators… And you don't have to skip school to be able to do that.”
On January 24th DPS Superintendent, Alex Marrero, released an update to address community concerns following the removal of federal guidelines that protected “sensitive locations”, including schools, from ICE raids. The statement maintained that DPS policy would be upheld without any adjustments noting that “the rescission was anticipated, and the guidance was developed with this in mind”. This is, in part, due to Colorado’s status as a sanctuary state that limits the cooperation between city officials, like local law enforcement, and federal ICE agents. In terms of education, sanctuary status promotes providing access to education for all students regardless of immigration status. For DPS this meant between the summer of 2023 and early 2024 DPS was able to welcome more than 2,400 new students, mostly from Venezuela, and allocate roughly $1.6 million to help support the new students.
ICE presence is not as heavy in Colorado in comparison to other states that have experienced fear striking events and reports. Still, the Denver community is affected. Fear and a general lack of security and awareness about situations, has engulfed the community. Though realistically DPS schools are safer than most, students are still concerned. Myka Pettit confesses, “The bigger issue is federal policy and the sentiment around what could happen, you know, when the policies don't follow through or when they don't work the way they're supposed to…I do think it has an impact because it’s fear, it’s a feeling.” DPS Board member Kimberlee Sia agrees that the hypothetical, and general feeling of fear is where the true issue is rooted. She shares that the protections in place are effective and strong, divulging, “There are processes that I as a board member feel very fortunate and supportive in terms of what the superintendent has done to make sure our schools are safe for students.”
According to Myka Pettit, East High School , a recent staff meeting reviewed East’s response protocol, based on the guidelines set by the district, to federal agents. Ms. Pettit reassured, “I, as a teacher, am willing to put my body in between a federal agent and students and East has committed to that as well”. Pettit, along with most other staff members at East High School, do not refrain from contentious topics in or out of class. Many teachers see giving their opinion as something necessary and unavoidable, walking alongside students at the protest and ensuring a positive influence on students' education. She says, “I actually make it a point to make sure that I bring in current events and things that we can talk about within our history lessons because there’s so much that is connecting between past and present. I am a firm believer that as an educator, if we remain neutral on topics, we’re actually doing more harm than we are, contributing to someone’s learning.”
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