The Los Angeles Police Department has issued a cautionary notice to both students and parents following a series of student-led protests against ICE in downtown Los Angeles. These protests have taken place over the past three consecutive Fridays during school hours, culminating in a violent incident last week where federal agents sustained injuries.
In a statement released on Monday, the LAPD emphasized, “Mandatory school attendance laws in the City of Los Angeles mean that both students and parents could face legal repercussions.” The statement also highlighted the illegality of minors under the age of 18 being in public areas, streets, or entertainment venues during school hours, typically from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The authorities clarified that middle and high school students are allowed one excused absence per year to engage in civic or political events, as long as the school is notified in advance.
The department further warned that adults who facilitate or assist minors in engaging in unlawful activities could be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In a related incident, the Clovis Police Department announced plans to file misdemeanor charges against two adults accused of orchestrating a school walkout involving over 200 students in Fresno County.
The LAPD also referenced the Los Angeles Unified School District’s policy, which states that three or more unexcused absences, or being tardy for over 30 minutes, could result in intervention by the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).
The announcement comes just days after an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was sent to the hospital when high school students turned violent at an anti-ICE demonstration last Friday.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said rioters threw rocks that injured the federal agent during the chaotic protest, and video shows a teen swinging a pole at officers.
“On February 13, a group of about 200–300 rioters and agitators gathered outside an ICE building in Los Angeles. They threw objects, including rocks, at law enforcement. One ICE officer was hit in the head with a rock and was injured,” a DHS spokesperson told The Post.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, a vocal critic of ICE enforcement, has instructed school police to intervene if ICE agents attempt to enter campuses and previously established what he called “perimeters of safety” around city schools for immigrant students.
“We interpret those actions as actions of intimidation, instilling fear that may lead to self-deportation,” Carvalho said in the spring. “That is not the community we want to be. That is not the state or the nation that we ought to be.”
In a statement responding to the LAPD warning, an LAUSD spokeswoman said the district supports the “rights of our students to advocate for causes important to them.”
“However, we are concerned for student safety at off-campus demonstrations, as schools are the safest place for students,” the spokeswoman said.
Students are “also allowed to participate in peaceful demonstrations on campus during non-instructional times, within parameters set by administrators,” she added.
LAUSD attendance on Friday was 92%, the same as the previous five days, according to the district. There are just under 400,000 students enrolled in LAUSD schools.
“LAPD is putting students, parents, and schools on notice that skipping school is against the law. Adults who facilitate such activity can also be criminally charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Good,” wrote Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, on X in response to the LAPD statement, welcoming the public advisory as “Good.”
The recent downtown protests are part of broader nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Earlier this year, Los Angeles and other parts of California saw intense anti-ICE protests following the killings of Minnesota residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
