Perkins K-8 principal worries about immigration enforcement ahead of school year

SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) -- As students head back to school, some question how immigration enforcement could impact enrollment and how schools operate.

Both of those topics are top of mind for Fernando Hernandez, the principal at Perkins K-8 in Barrio Logan, because some of his students are in the country with temporary protective status.

He tells FOX 5/KUSI his goal this year is to continue to create a place of belonging for his students.

“Kids come out and play. We have kids from Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Russia, Afghanistan, and they come together and play," Hernandez said. "When you listen to them talk to one another -- kicking the soccer ball, playing four-square, playing on the jungle gym here -- you listen to their English and they’re helping each other here," he explained while standing on the playground.

Hernandez describes the playground at Perkins K-8 as a melting pot of cultures where students find their sense of belonging. He said going into this school year, that sense of belonging may stop when the final school bell rings.

“When they go home, it’s that sense of foreboding, looking over your shoulder, not knowing that their parents are the ones that are looking over their shoulder, but we tell their parents not to convey that sense of fear," Hernandez said. "But I think they have to, in a sense. They are back in survival mode."

He is worried that ongoing immigration enforcement could lead to enrollment dropping, especially for students with temporary protective status.

In January, President Trump reversed a policy that had prevented ICE agents from conducting enforcement operations in sensitive areas, such as schools.

FOX 5/KUSI reached out to ICE regarding enforcement at schools and the protocol agents follow, but have not yet heard back. While he doesn’t think ICE agents will show up at his school, Hernandez says there is protocol in place in the case that ICE agents show up at schools.

“In the event that ICE agents show up on campus with a judicial warrant signed by a federal judge, please call school police immediately and notify your area superintendent," he said.

In the meantime, Fernandez's focus is on continuing to cultivate a place of belonging for his students.

“We really have to ramp it up. It’s got to be on steroids. We have to make our children feel like they are a part of the fabric of the school," he said.

Hernandez does not think that ICE will show up at his school. Students return to the classrooms at Perkins and all other San Diego Unified School District schools on Monday, Aug. 11.