Anti-ICE Resistance Manuals TAUGHT at Schools

Empty classroom with desks, chairs, windows, and chalkboard.

Schools nationwide find themselves caught in a bitter standoff between conservative watchdogs alleging indoctrination and educators claiming they’re protecting terrified children from federal agents patrolling hallways.

Story Snapshot

Conservative group Defending Education accuses school districts of distributing walkout guides and anti-ICE protest training materials to students
Teachers’ unions confirm “Know Your Rights” trainings but deny promoting illegal resistance, focusing instead on legal responses to immigration enforcement
Trump Administration’s revocation of ICE’s “sensitive locations policy” now permits federal raids near schools without warrants
Education groups demand Congress halt ICE funding increases, citing student absenteeism and community trauma exceeding $40 billion annually
No verified evidence confirms federally funded schools face funding cuts for conducting these trainings despite heated political rhetoric

The Explosive Allegation That Started It All

Defending Education, a conservative parents’ rights organization, released bombshell accusations in late January 2026. The group claims hundreds of school districts receiving federal dollars are providing students with resistance manuals featuring walkout strategies and instructions for confronting federal immigration agents on school property. Nicole Neily, the organization’s president, characterized these materials as blatant political indoctrination disguised as student safety. The timing coincided with intensified ICE operations following the administration’s policy changes that eliminated traditional protections for educational institutions.

What Educators Actually Admit They’re Doing

The St. Paul Federation of Educators provides a starkly different narrative. This teachers’ union trained 400 volunteers as school patrol members and conducted workshops teaching immigrant parents how to prepare legal paperwork if detained. They call these “Know Your Rights” sessions, not resistance training. The distinction matters legally and practically. These workshops focus on constitutional rights during ICE encounters, such as declining to open doors without judicial warrants and requesting attorney access. Unions frame this as child protection, not civil disobedience, amid what they characterize as terrorizing enforcement tactics.

The Policy Shift That Changed Everything

Prior to 2025, ICE maintained a “sensitive locations policy” restricting enforcement actions at schools and churches without warrants. The Trump Administration revoked this protection in early 2025, fundamentally altering the landscape. Federal agents now conduct operations near schools, sometimes wearing masks and engaging in roving patrols that education leaders describe as destabilizing entire communities. This policy reversal echoes tensions from 2019-2020 but escalated dramatically throughout 2026. Southern California raids in June 2025 already demonstrated measurable increases in student absenteeism driven purely by fear, affecting immigrant and non-immigrant students alike.

The Budget Battle Driving Congressional Chaos

ICE’s roughly $40 billion budget became the flashpoint for congressional warfare over FY2026 Department of Homeland Security funding. The Children Thrive Action Network and similar advocacy coalitions reject any funding increases, arguing taxpayer dollars fuel what they term a “reign of terror” in schools and childcare centers. Education groups including the Council of the Great City Schools, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers publicly stated they would support a partial government shutdown if it forced unbundling of DHS appropriations from broader spending bills. The Senate passed a funding deal on January 29, 2026, averting total shutdown but allowing two weeks for immigration negotiations.

Ray Hart, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools representing major urban districts, emphasizes that ICE operations poison the learning environment for all students, not just those from immigrant families. Democrats pushed for provisions requiring agent identification and banning roving patrols near schools, while Republicans defended enforcement as necessary law and order. Representative Josh Gottheimer introduced the ICE Standards Act on January 28, 2026, proposing what he called “commonsense guardrails” including use-of-force standards and identification requirements, seeking middle ground that satisfies neither progressive activists nor enforcement hawks.

The Evidence Gap Nobody Wants to Acknowledge

Here’s what remains unverified despite inflammatory rhetoric from both sides: No credible evidence confirms schools are distributing actual “resistance manuals” promoting illegal actions. Defending Education’s allegations rest on their own statements and interpretations of sanctuary district policies. Conversely, documented “Know Your Rights” trainings focus on legal compliance, not civil disobedience. The distinction between teaching students constitutional protections versus encouraging walkouts and confrontations with federal agents represents a chasm neither side adequately addresses. Research confirms ICE enforcement causes measurable student absenteeism, but whether school-based trainings constitute inappropriate political activity or necessary child protection depends entirely on one’s perspective regarding federal immigration authority.

The fundamental question remains unanswered: Should schools receiving federal taxpayer dollars actively train students and families on strategies that could impede federal law enforcement operations, even if those strategies remain within legal bounds? Common sense suggests schools exist to educate children, not serve as battlegrounds for immigration policy disputes. Yet abandoning vulnerable students to navigate federal enforcement without guidance seems equally unconscionable. This tension won’t resolve through funding fights or partisan accusations. It requires clarity on whether America’s schools function as extensions of federal enforcement priorities or sanctuaries prioritizing child welfare above all political considerations.