After finishing his day at high school, 19-year-old Ronaldo Hernandez takes a bus to start his shift as a dishwasher at a restaurant near downtown Los Angeles.

Lately, the young migrant from Guatemala fears that he or his family members could be deported due to the raids that are taking place in the city of Los Angeles.

“I have felt sad for the families and for the children who sometimes cry for their parents when immigration catches them,” said Hernández, who arrived in the United States 3 years ago. “You feel sad and you feel bad because they come to work honestly and they don’t do anything to anyone else.”

An estimated 30,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) are immigrants, who are believed to be fearful of the raids seen in Southern California.

During a press conference Monday morning, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stressed that the district will support students and families who are immigrants.

In addition, the superintendent noted that federal vehicles have been seen parked at around two LAUSD schools, which he interprets as intimidation by authorities that only cause fear.

“Our schools are places of education and inspiration, not fear and intimidation,” Carvalho said. “Many of us here are immigrants or children of immigrants, and we would be hypocrites if we took a step back in protecting those who today face what our parents or we ourselves faced years ago.” The superintendent said that between Monday and Tuesday, LAUSD will have around 100 graduations and promised to protect every child and parent who attend with an increased presence of school police to establish a safe perimeter as they enter and leave campus. This summer, the school district will increase the number of schools available for summer school to reduce travel time for families, and will open virtual opportunities for students and their families who are extremely afraid of attending school.according to the superintendent.

Anyi Ríos Bermudez immigrated from Colombia two years ago with her husband and three daughters, two of whom attend Gratts Elementary School in the Westlake area, not far from where the raids in downtown Los Angeles occurred a few days ago. She fears her family could be separated.

“You’re afraid to go out and take your children to a park or a mall because you always think they’re going to find them [ICE officers] and that they’re going to catch us,” the mother shared. “Your fear is that the moment they catch you, your children will be taken, who knows where.”

Ríos maintains that everyone deserves the opportunity to work and create a better future for their children in the United States, something she says cannot be compared to the situation in Colombia.

“The president wants us to take measures to leave on our own, but he doesn’t realize that in our country we are also going through hard things,” she added.

For now, the Colombian mother works in the cleaning industry, while her husband works in construction, despite the fear they feel about the raids.

“Not all of us are criminals. There are some who are workers, and for the people who are criminals, we are not going to pay the innocent people.”

Recently, in a TikTok video with more than 16 million views, a tearful user mistakenly shared that they had seen people fleeing Gratts Elementary School due to the presence of ICE, a situation that caused fear among people.

“We are aware of recent social media rumors regarding immigration activity at the fifth-grade graduation ceremony at Gratts Learning Academy for Young Scholars on June 6, 2025,” LAUSD said in a statement. “These claims are false.”

LAUSD explained that it continues to work closely with school leaders, security teams, and community partners during this unprecedented time.

They also said they remain committed to providing accurate and timely information to keep families informed through official school communications. They added that any parent who sees immigration activity near the school should contact the district or the school.