By Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed

In recent weeks, our community has shown what solidarity truly looks like. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence created fear and instability for our community, particularly for immigrant families, neighbours stepped in without hesitation. People bought groceries, drove children to and from school, transported adults to work, stood outside schools in orange vests to welcome students and families, and publicly protested what many rightly saw as immoral, and at times illegal, treatment of members of our community. 

Tragically, this crisis has also cost lives: Renée Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, both 37-year-old residents of Minneapolis, were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in separate incidents that have shaken communities across the country and intensified calls for accountability. It was a powerful reminder that when injustice is laid bare, we do not hesitate. We mobilize. We organize. We show up. We make sacrifices, and we stand firmly for what is right.

As in many past historical moments, I am confident that this moment of aggressive and unfair immigration enforcement will pass. Administrations change. Policies shift. Fear recedes. But there is another injustice that has been with us far longer and will remain unless we address it with the same urgency: the persistent inequitable outcomes in education for students from immigrant, multilingual, and other marginalized communities. The immigration crisis in our streets is visible. The educational inequity in our schools is quieter and persistent regardless of the changes of administrations, but no less urgent.

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For many students from immigrant families, school is where hope and hardship meet. These young people bring resilience, multilingual skills, cultural knowledge and assets, and a deep desire to succeed. Yet year after year, data show gaps in achievement, in access to advanced coursework, in graduation rates, and in postsecondary opportunities. These gaps are not reflections of students’ abilities. They are reflections of systems that have not yet fully adapted to serve them equitably.

The message is: if we can rally to support families in times of fear and lack of safety, we can also rally to ensure their children experience excellence in our schools. Supporting immigrant communities must include supporting their educational journeys.

Here I am suggesting some actionable strategies community members can perform to support students and families and to close the achievement gaps. 

Reading with students, supporting classrooms, helping with after-school programs, and assisting with homework clubs do more than support academics. They build belonging. Students who have additional caring adults connected to their school are more engaged and more successful.

Students benefit from sustained relationships with adults who can help them navigate academic choices, set goals, and plan for life after school. Mentorship helps students move through systems that were not always designed with them in mind.

Advocate for equitable access. Are multilingual learners provided opportunities and access in advanced classes? Do students from immigrant backgrounds have access to rigorous coursework, athletics, and enrichment opportunities? Equity is about access to high expectations.

Just as neighbors helped transport children during moments of fear, we can continue to support families with the routines and practical help that ensure students attend school consistently. Continue supporting families with transporting students to and from school. Attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success.

If you are a community organizer, partner with schools. Join school committees, attend events, and participate in family engagement evenings. Schools function best when they are true community hubs, not isolated institutions.

Support and encourage schools to celebrate multilingualism and multiculturalism. Partner with schools in these areas. When students see their identities reflected and valued, their engagement and achievement increase significantly.

What we witnessed in response to ICE presence was not only compassion; it was civic power. The same people who stood outside schools in orange vests can stand inside schools as volunteers, mentors, and advocates. The same energy used to protest injustice can be used to push for educational practices that ensure every child, regardless of background, has access to high-quality instruction and supportive community.

Immigration enforcement will pass. The inequities in education will not — unless we confront them with the same clarity and commitment. Our immigrant neighbours need us in moments of fear. Their children need us every day.