But President Donald Trump’s administration removed these restrictions as part of its ongoing deportation efforts.
In Nevada, lawmakers are working to protect students in the undocumented community and potentially avoid adding another factor to the rise in student absenteeism.
Assemblymember Cecelia González, who introduced AB217, said the bill aims to keep schools safe from immigration enforcement overreach.
“[This] was a call in response to actual community's concerns and fears about what is happening at the national level when it comes to immigration,” González said .
She called the ongoing deportation efforts coming from the White House, “inappropriate and unprofessional.”
AB217 would require ICE and other immigration officers to obtain a judicial warrant before entering schools. González said it will prevent ICE from using tactics — like presenting themselves as local law enforcement or flashing unrelated ICE documents — to enter schools.
The bill does not introduce new legal requirements—it codifies existing policies in districts like Washoe County, ensuring these protections cannot be changed at the discretion of future district leadership or federal policies.
Beth Smith, president of the Washoe County School Board, said that personally and individually as a trustee, she supports the bill.
“[González] is just creating a space for state law that already mandates the process that you should be following, which is allowing access for any law enforcement, but with a judicial warrant,” Smith said.
Smith said Washoe County schools already comply with district policy and do not distinguish between different types of law enforcement agencies. ICE is treated the same as local police or the sheriff’s department when it comes to accessing school property.
Rechelle Murillo, director of intervention for Washoe County School District, acknowledged increased fear among Latino families but said there is no official data yet linking absenteeism to ICE-related concerns. Reports of fear, she said, are anecdotal, coming from family resource centers where parents have voiced concerns.
Murillo, who oversees attendance and interventions, said this could impact student attendance, leading to negative effects on academic performance, social-emotional development, and graduation rates.
González said the bill comes down to one thing.
“At the end of the day, this is about protecting kids—making sure they can go to school without worrying about what happens when they leave,” González said.
González is still amending AB217, which is set for a legislative hearing this week.
