A federal judge has ruled against Denver Public Schools’ attempt to stop immigration officials from raiding school grounds, marking a victory for the Trump administration as it seeks to intensify deportation efforts.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico, a Trump appointee, determined that the district failed to prove that the recent decline in student attendance was caused by the administration reversing a 2021 Biden-era policy that protected schools—and other sensitive locations like churches—from ICE raids.
Currently, more than 1.4 million individuals remain on ICE’s final order of removal docket, Fox News reported.
Denver Public Schools had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing that the policy reversal had “hindered its mission” by instilling fear in students, leading to lower attendance.
The school district had requested a preliminary injunction to stop federal arrests at sensitive locations—a request that was denied. Judge Domenico also refused to issue a nationwide injunction that would have required immigration officials to revert to the 2021 guidance, Fox added.
In addition to citing a drop in attendance, the district argued that it had to divert resources to address the fear among students and families following the lifting of longstanding protections. The school system claimed that revoking the policy forced schools to invest time and resources in educating students and staff on staying safe during immigration enforcement encounters. For instance, staff have been trained to refuse entry to ICE officers unless they possess a warrant signed by a judge.
But Domenico, a former solicitor general for Colorado, noted that it was unclear how much of the fear was directly caused by the new rules versus broader concerns about heightened immigration enforcement actions.
He also noted that Denver Public Schools had not yet experienced any raids and that the head of ICE had issued a directive requiring supervisors’ approval for immigration arrests at sensitive locations.
Domenico commented that both the alarm over the new rules and the belief that the old rules provided school protection appear to be “overstated.”
“The lawsuit was brought by the school district, not the city of Denver, which is a sanctuary city. The lawsuit stated that there were more than 90,000 students in the Denver Public Schools system during the 2023-2024 school year, and approximately 4,000 were immigrants,” Fox added.
We have identified criminal leakers within @DHSGov and are preparing to refer these perpetrators to the @DOJ for felony prosecutions.
These individuals face up to 10 years in federal prison.
We will find and root out all leakers. They will face prison time & we will get justice… pic.twitter.com/KEtpJDtUNs
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) March 7, 2025
Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Friday that some of the people allegedly responsible for leaking information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have been caught.
“We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy,” she said in a post on X on Friday. “We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”
“We’re going to continue to do all that we can to keep America safe,” she added.
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Noem did not identify the individuals who were discovered.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, told Fox News that the two people will face charges.
“We are preparing to refer these perpetrators to the DOJ for felony prosecutions,” the spokesperson said. “These individuals face up to 10 years in federal prison. We will find and root out all leakers. They will face prison time, and we will get justice for the American people.”