Students protest outside Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School in support of Mauro Henriquez, a fellow student detained along with his father by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling for his release so he can return home and graduate with his class in Houston, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston ChronicleOn the morning of Dec. 16, high school soccer coach Miguel Gusart had an important update for the team. It wasn’t about their next game. Earlier that morning, their captain – 18-year-old Mauro Yosueth Henriquez – was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He and his father, Mauro Rigoberto Henriquez, have since been in detention at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe for nearly two months.Yosueth Henriquez, a senior at Houston ISD’s Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center, is one of thousands of HISD students whose education has been disrupted by President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. This school year alone, the district’s immigrant student enrollment has plummeted by 22% — the first decline for that student group since COVID, according to records obtained by the Chronicle. Article continues below this adThousands of students are now staying home from school out of fear of being detained, cutting them off from their education and future careers, according to advocates, educators and immigration experts. Over time, they warn, the fallout could mean school funding cuts, population declines and a weaker economy for Houston.Instead of preparing his team for the upcoming game, Gusart gathered them into the school’s gym to tell them their friend and captain was detained. Houston Chronicle LogoMake us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.Add Preferred SourceMauro’s teammate, senior Angel Orellana, said the incident has only intensified fears that many students were already feeling – that day, and every day. “We fear coming to school,” said Orellana, 17. “We can't go buy groceries. We don't feel free to be on the street any more, and that's really sad … We should be able to play with our friends and not be detained in prisons like monsters.”Article continues below this adStudents protest outside Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School in support of Mauro Henriquez, a fellow student detained along with his father by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling for his release so he can return home and graduate with his class in Houston, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston ChronicleHow it happenedThe same day he took office, President Trump issued a slew of executive orders on immigration that prioritized enforcement and removal. His administration also rescinded a policy that restricted ICE agents from performing operations in so-called protected areas like schools, churches and hospitals.In July, Trump signed his signature legislation — the “Big Beautiful Bill” — that pumped tens of billions into immigration enforcement. Article continues below this adHarris and its surrounding counties have been a hotbed for ICE activity since early 2025. The Houston ICE field office periodically releases statements about large-scale operations that result in the arrests of hundreds of immigrants. The statements focus on “criminal aliens,” although they are scant on details.Calls to ICE officers by Houston Police Department officers have also surged since 2025. One in four of those ended with a person being arrested by ICE agents.Advocates have warned the community, however, that the so-called “worst of the worst” criminals aren’t the sole focus of ICE’s operations, and the agency is also targeting immigrant parents.Paige Duggins-Clay, the chief legal analyst at the Intercultural Development Research Association, said the policy shift to allow agents inside schools added to the anxiety already felt by immigrant students and mixed-status families. “(It’s a) chilling effect where schools become places where adults and undocumented students don't feel safe anymore,” she said. “There's sort of no safe space.”Article continues below this adThe Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security now advises that officers should use discretion and common sense when working in these areas, but it is not necessary “for the head of the agency to create bright-line rules regarding where our immigration laws are permitted to be enforced.”In September, DHS issued a statement accusing the media of fear-mongering and smearing ICE’s image. But the agency also reaffirmed that agents are allowed to enter school grounds if warranted.“The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “If a dangerous illegal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect public safety. But this has not happened.”Aura Espinosa of FIEL holds up a phone showing a photo of Reyna González during a press conference at FIEL headquarters in Houston on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. González, who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is currently in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and her family is calling for her release so she can receive medical care.Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographerAdvocates have highlighted several incidents where Houston-area parents have been detained by ICE after encounters with local police or being targeted by federal agents. Article continues below this adIn October, a Mexican woman was deported after she experienced a mental-health episode and her family called authorities for help. Her son, a U.S. citizen, had to move to Mexico with her. Also in October, a U.S. citizen teenager and his father were tackled and detained by federal agents after they tried to flee masked agents who didn’t identify themselves. The father was later deported to Mexico; the son was released.How has HISD been affected?Even as HISD’s enrollment plummeted after COVID, its immigrant student population soared. It peaked at more than 17,500 in the 2024-25 school year. But, this year, the number dropped by nearly 4,000 students, as HISD’s total enrollment dropped by about 8,000. Immigrant students are defined as those who were not born in the United States and have not been attending school in any state for more than three full academic years, according to the Texas Education Agency.While HISD has seen a decrease among all of its largest racial and ethnic groups this year, the decline was nearly twice as steep for Hispanic and Latino students. Their numbers dropped by 6% in 2025-26. The losses could pose a significant financial challenge for HISD, which receives at least $6,160 in state funding per student each year. The loss of 8,300 students districtwide could cost the district $51 million this year.When presenting to Houston City Council members in September, state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles attributed much of this year’s enrollment declines to increased immigration enforcement.Miles said those declines could force the district to cut its staffing and budget in the future.“If we have fewer kids, we'll have fewer teachers, which means we'll have fewer central office staff,” Miles said. HISD did not respond to requests for comment.Students stand alongside Texas state representatives during a protest outside Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School in support of Mauro, a fellow student detained along with his father by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Houston on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston ChronicleWhere are students going?Many students are believed to still be living in Houston, but no longer attend school because they fear immigration enforcement, said Sarah Howell, co-facilitator at the Central American Minors Working Group.Howell, who worked at HISD’s Jane Long Academy for newcomers until 2023 before starting her own immigrant-focused counseling practice, said she’s seen some students deprioritize their education after a family member was deported. Other young people have been forced to enter the workforce early when a parent was detained, she said.Howell said the last year has likely already damaged thousands of students’ future education and workforce opportunities.“It's pushing people out of formal systems that we need to have a strong education,” Howell said. “Instead, we're forcing people into the shadows … making education so unsafe, I think, will have ripple effects for decades to come.”At Sam Houston, in Houston’s Northside neighborhood, news of Yosueth Henriquez’s detention has further rattled many of his classmates, said senior and soccer team co-captain Lionel Salinas.“The ones that don't have papers, they dropped out. They’re scared, like me,” said Salinas, 18, who has a green card and is living in the country legally. He’s worried he’ll lose more friends if ICE agents detain more students.Jaime Puente, the director of economic opportunity at Every Texan, said cutting off education for immigrant students and minorities creates a subclass of Texans. The statewide group advocates for healthcare, education and economic equality.“If we know that these kids are not going to have legitimate access to college or career credentials, much less an actual job in the future, we're basically creating a permanent underclass of people,” he said. “If they can't go to school, if they can't get a job, what are they going to do?”The only opportunity that will be afforded to them will be joining a menial labor force, Puente added.“We're talking about large-scale societal problems that we are choosing to impose upon ourselves by leaving these kids behind, by forcing these people into the shadows,” he said. “Texas and the United States are going to face — in the very near future — a precipice where we have a heavily under-educated population that has no outlook for betterment of their own lives.” Students protest outside Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School in support of Mauro Henriquez, a fellow student detained along with his father by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling for his release so he can return home and graduate with his class in Houston, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston ChronicleMore than undocumented studentsThe impact may extend beyond undocumented students. In the first two months of 2025, student absenteeism at school districts in California’s Central Valley rose by 22%, according to a July study by Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education.Chronic absenteeism, which school districts have been battling since COVID, can cause learning loss, poorer health outcomes and higher dropout rates. It can also affect other students in the classroom — teachers may need to review prior lessons for students who were absent, making learning slower for all students.When children see immigration raids in their community — regardless of citizenship status — they also face psychological distress and poorer mental health outcomes, said Maria-Elena Young, an associate professor of public health at the University of California-Merced. “It's a major concern for the wellbeing of children when they're in these climates of heightened vigilance,” Young said. School enrollment declines can also be used as a microcosm of a community’s future demographic trends, Dee said. Texas’ population growth slowed by one-third in 2025, and experts predict that Houston’s population may stagnate or decline over the next several years.In Harris County — the most ethnically diverse in Texas — immigrants accounted for 93% of growth from 2020 to 2024. Separate studies show heightened immigration enforcement can harm local economies and increase foreclosure rates while having little to no impact on an area’s crime rate, Dee said.“It's hard to find any evidence of positive effects on local or national welfare from these policy choices,” Dee said.A friend of Mauro holds a poster with his photo during a student protest outside Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School in Houston on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle‘We want him to come back’HISD has already take some steps in response to the immigration crackdown. In October, the district moved the entire student body of Las Americas Newcomer School into the adjacent Jane Long Academy due to plummeting enrollment. Once called a “hidden gem” for immigrant families in Houston, the Gulfton-area middle school was dedicated to recent immigrant and refugee students with limited English proficiency. Erin Baumgartner, the director of Rice University’s Houston Education Research Consortium who has studied the benefits of Houston’s newcomer schools, said the decision was likely made, in part, to prevent students from being targeted. She said the true impact of immigration policies in schools will likely be undercounted.This week, Sam Houston’s sports teams dropped to the 5A division due to enrollment declines, their coach Gusart said. He said some parents aren’t letting their kids go to practice, while others are avoiding school altogether.Duggins-Clay, IDRA’s legal analyst, said because of the policy changes and increased fear, school district officials need to do even more to safeguard their students.“Schools have a constitutional responsibility to serve all students, including immigrant students. And that means developing a school climate that is safe not only for students, but also for their adult caregivers,” she said.That means thinking of non-traditional ways to ensure parents and students feel welcome.“It could mean allowing surrogates and family members to create a support system where maybe a parent doesn't feel safe coming to a parent-teacher meeting, but welcoming other adult caregivers who may have the ability to do so,” she said. “I know that's not the traditional sort of legal advocacy and action, but this is really a time for care and support and trying to find ways to uphold that constitutional responsibility.” Hundreds of Yosueth Henriquez’s classmates and elected officials protested his detainment in front of the high school last week. Teammates wore "We Are One" shirts in his honor, leading chants against ICE and describing Yosueth Henriquez as a role model and dedicated student, teammate and friend.“They're learning to speak up for themselves, that's for sure,” Gusart said. “I think it's very important for them to know what they can do about it and what they can't do about it and to share that with their families.”A spokesperson with the ICE field office in Houston said he and his father have received full due process under the law and have been ordered deported to Honduras. The father had previously been deported in 2008 and had reentered the United States without authorizati