Richmond Public Schools and other public officials addressed the RPS community’s concerns on Monday morning about potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on school grounds. 

Superintendent Jason Kamras said on YouTube that immigrant students should continue attending school despite the fear of potential detention by ICE law enforcement.

“Let me be clear, we love you here and RPS will always be a safe haven for you,” Kamras told students in the YouTube public address.

In the public announcement, RPS said it would protect students by preserving their privacy rights and the right to ensure access to education, which federal law protects.

In addition, RPS staff will receive updated training and instructions to protect students.

According to the U.S. Census, Richmond has a foreign-born population of 8.6%, with Latinos and Hispanics being the largest ethnic groups.

President Donald Trump signed a handful of executive orders on Jan. 20, one of which authorizes a mass arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 21 stated that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” after the Trump administration lifted a policy preventing arrests from happening in hospitals and sensitive areas such as churches and schools.

Throughout the past week, ICE raids have been carried out in major cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

Due to ICE raids occurring in these cities, concerns arose on social media about potential local ICE law enforcement detaining immigrants statewide.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia told WTVR — in- cluding Mayor Danny Avula, who told Richmond City Council — that there have been no confirmed reports of ICE raids in the Richmond area.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., denounced Trump’s mass deportation ban and said he is working to protect Dreamers and holders of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which provides work authorization and deportation relief to certain immigrants.

“I’m very concerned about President Trump’s mass deportation plans, particularly the rollback of a decades-long policy under both Democratic and Republican administrations,” Kaine said.

“Mass deportations would tear apart many families with longstanding ties to the U.S. and severely hurt the U.S. and Virginia economy.”

The Richmond School Board released a public statement on Tuesday afternoon also condemning Trump’s mass deportation policies and stated it will continue to monitor the situation.

“The School Board would like to send this clear message: No matter who you are or where you were born, the School Board will take steps to ensure that you continue to receive an education in a safe and welcoming atmosphere,” the School Board told its students.

 Chesterfield County Public Schools, which also has a significant immigrant student population, emailed a statement on Wednesday at noon stating that it will protect its students, regardless of immigration status, and is not aware of any ICE detainment in Chesterfield.