Over 30 students, parents and residents gathered at the Matheson Museum Tuesday calling for formal protocols limiting law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interactions with students in Alachua County Public Schools.
Organized by the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative, the demonstration came amid growing concern about a lack of formalized district policy surrounding ICE and law enforcement access to students.
ACPS memo
ACPS doesn’t require law enforcement or ICE agents to obtain a warrant or show documents before interviewing and removing students.
The memo, released Feb. 10, requires district employees to comply with directives from law enforcement officers, and a failure to do so may result in “legal consequences, including arrest for tampering with, interfering with, or obstructing a law enforcement investigation or law enforcement official.”
Gainesville Immigrant Inclusion Initiative’s demonstration
Organizers demanded the district establish clear guidelines requiring law enforcement officers present a judicial warrant or obtain parental consent before questioning or removing a student from class.
Jenny Gavilanez-Slone, a 54-year-old Gainesville resident, began the demonstration by speaking on her perspectives as a parent of three.
“I'm appalled that a potentially unidentified person will have to request to speak to my child without my knowledge,” she said. “How can we pride ourselves as a country or a state that enshrines parental rights when these flagrant abuses are allowed?”
Kindred Tookelopez, a 17-year-old Gainesville High School junior, spoke about conversations she’s had with other students.
“Immigrant students will fear what they say because it may cost them their future or their family,” she said. “American born students will fear what they say because it may cost them a friend, and teachers will fear what they say because it may cost them a job.”
Zoe Lackey, a 25-year-old Gainesville resident, said she was “shocked” by the lack of communication toward families regarding the ACPS memo, which was originally never meant for the greater ACPS community, The Alligator previously reported.
It’s “unacceptable” no information has been provided to families, weeks after the memo was released, she said.
“ICE in schools will destroy families,” she said.
Ethan Maia de Needell, GINI demonstration organizer, said it took a few weeks to plan. GINI was waiting to hear back from ACPS about a more formal meeting regarding the current memo, which ACPS declined, he said. GINI decided to head forward with Tuesday’s demonstration anyway.
Maia de Needell said it made his organization feel frustrated, especially as it tried showing examples of other Florida districts with more “protective policies.”
“That's not good enough,” he said.
He hopes ACPS will hear the community's concerns with intent, he said, and that it “doesn’t get to the point” of further action.
“I have family and loved ones who are immigrants, but this is an issue that impacts all of us, regardless of your status,” he said.
The museum meeting was followed by a march across the street to the ACPS’ administration building, where more protesters spoke in the board meeting’s public comment.
ACPS has not publicly stated whether it intends to pursue new policy changes. No formal ICE-related policy proposals have appeared on the Alachua County School Board’s meeting agenda to date.
Contact Sara-James Ranta at sranta@alligator.org. Follow her on X @sarajamesranta.
Sara-James Ranta is a third-year journalism major, minoring in sociology of social justice and policy. Previously, she served as a general assignment reporter for The Alligator's university desk.
