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Federal immigration enforcement impact on City students informational hearing (25-0042R)

At a glance

  • What: Informational hearing 25-0042R, sponsored by committee chair Parker with Vice Chair Ramos and colleagues, on how escalated federal immigration enforcement is affecting City students. It invites City Schools, the Health Department, the Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success, the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and other stakeholders.
  • Where it stands: second hearing held Oct 15, 2026 (the first was in July 2026). Students and staff testified, City agencies and partners reported, and the committee made several data requests. No vote; it is an informational hearing.
  • Next: Parker expects another hearing. Agencies owe follow-up data (see below), and the September 30 enrollment counts are not final until late November or December.

What the Oct 15 hearing covered

  • Public testimony: about a dozen high school students (not named here) and several adult educators and clinicians described fear of enforcement, anxiety, missed school, and family separations. Common asks: more bilingual staff, excused absences for immigration-related events, a school safety plan, mental health support, and a compassion fund for affected families. An educator also asked for an audit of middle and high school choice access for English learners.
  • Pediatricians: Dr. Pulk and Dr. Cawayto recommended school-based licensed counselors, parent group coaching, staff support, trusted adult mentors and staple food items in schools (cited 48% of Spanish-speaking families screened reporting food insecurity vs 34% of English speakers in three clinics).
  • Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs: Catalina Rodriguez Lima reported over 1,000 arrests in the city since January 2025, about half in 2026 (public Deportation Data Project data through July 2026; counts where arrests happened, not residence). Safe City Baltimore know-your-rights sessions: 59 sessions, 700 participants since April 2025. Legal-referral hotline partner screened 742 calls and referred 143 detained city residents; 78 households got case management. New resources: standby guardianship workshops, another legal provider, mental health partner for families, about $2 million raised, and a dedicated coordinator hire.
  • City Schools: enrollment of multilingual learners fell 8.1% from 2024-25 to 2025-26 (9.5% in high school); transfers out of the country were 25.2% of multilingual transfer exits, roughly double two years earlier (12.9% in 2023-24 per the vice chair). Attendance and chronic absence improved; math proficiency for middle school English learners was very low; the state climate survey average fell from 5.38 to 5.26. Schools do not track immigration status. Officials said attendance rules now allow excused absences for immigration-related proceedings, that the district has no staffing standard for bilingual staff yet, and that a three-year language access plan is being implemented.
  • Others: the Health Department said it has seen no impact on programs but does not break out school health center data by origin; the Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success described training and school-based service days; Behavioral Health System Baltimore promoted the 988 line (Spanish line gets about one call a day) and flagged Medicaid eligibility losses for some immigrant groups from Oct 1, 2026; a Head Start provider described lower attendance and enrollment and moved events away from enforcement hotspots.

Committee requests and follow-ups

  • Enrollment comparison September 30 to September 30, in addition to the end-of-year data shown.
  • Breakdown of withdrawals, including non-response, and when in the year they occurred.
  • Qualitative summary of what drives chronic absence for multilingual students.
  • Enrollment, entries, exits and transfers by race and ethnicity, and pre-K broken out.
  • Ramos plans to ask at the next hearing about school safety plans for this situation and safety on the way to school.

Official minutes

  • The draft Oct 15 minutes list four members present (Chair Parker, Middleton, Jones, Vice Chair Ramos) and Torrence absent. They record no motion or vote, consistent with an informational hearing.

Sources

Discussion time

About 168 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting Minutes
2026-10-15 - Education, Youth, & Older Adults 168

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