Santa Clara County School District Leaders Stand Against ICE Facility in Gilroy
Educators from across the South Bay and Peninsula are opposing construction of a controversial new immigration detention facility in Gilroy, California, warning it will disrupt K-12 education in their districts.
On Wednesday afternoon at Santa Clara County’s offices in San José, representatives from 27 Bay Area school districts voiced their concerns about how increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in the community could harm student and parent engagement.
Carmen García, the superintendent for Morgan Hill Unified School District, said her district is located only 10 miles away from the project site at 7240 Holsclaw Rd., and most of the students in her district live in mixed-status families.
“When basic needs are not met, when students do not feel safe, they’re chronically stuck at the stress level, and there is an effective filter that literally covers their brain that prevents them from learning,” García said.
Earlier this summer, the federal government agreed to pause construction on the Gilroy facility until Sept. 9, one day after a federal judge is set to hear arguments from both the county and the Department of Homeland Security to decide if the project will continue.
The court will decide in October if construction can resume, according to court records.
In 2023, over 300,000 residents living in Santa Clara County were undocumented or lived with an undocumented family, according to the California Immigrant Data Portal.
Tuyen Fiack, president of the Gilroy Unified School District, said increased ICE activity also decreases parent engagement.
“When parents are afraid to attend a school meeting, participate in a conference, access services or engage with their child’s school, that affects the entire educational community,” Fiack said.
She said this facility impacts students and parents in her community, as well as those in neighboring cities and counties.
“Our students do not live their lives according to district boundaries,” Fiack said. “Families live in Gilroy and work in San José. They have grandparents in Morgan Hill, cousins in East San José, friends in Mountain View, and relatives throughout this county. Our communities are interconnected.”