House Republicans block legislation that would protect students from warrantless federal raids

St. Paul, MN - Today, the House’s Education Policy Committee held its first hearing of the 2026 Legislative Session, starting with House File 3435. Authored by Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL - Minneapolis), the Committee’s DFL Chair, the bill would ban warrantless entry of schools for immigration enforcement - what was previously a normal practice before the 2nd Trump administration. 

Following debate, and testimony from students, parents, educators, and school staff in support of the bill, House Republicans blocked the legislation from advancing on a party-line vote. 

“The safety and well-being of our students should be our highest priority, not dangerous federal policy made on a whim for a partisan agenda,” said Rep. Jordan.  “This bill should not be controversial, and the decision made by our Republican colleagues to politicize the safety of our students is deeply disappointing. DFLers will continue to fight for this commonsense policy that keeps our schools safe and our students focused on learning.”

On January 20th, 2025, the Trump administration revoked the “sensitive locations memo” allowing ICE to now enter publicly accessible areas of schools without a judicial warrant. Previously, this memo had prevented ICE from conducting immigration enforcement in certain areas, including schools, childcare centers, hospitals, and places of worship.

HF 3435 bans public and charter school officials from consenting to local, state and federal immigration enforcement on school sites without a judicial warrant. With a valid warrant, school officials must request valid identification and restrict access to school property to that only specified in the warrant. Schools must notify the district superintendent or charter school administrator and legal counsel upon granting entry. These provisions do not apply to private schools.

After the committee’s vote, the legislation was laid over for future consideration. 

###