California teachers are using taxpayer-funded time to patrol schools and warn illegal immigrants about federal immigration enforcement, sparking outrage as the Los Angeles Unified School District faces potential bankruptcy by 2027.
Teachers Drive Patrols During School Hours
Lupe Carrasco Cardona, an ethics teacher at Los Angeles Unified School District, revealed she drives around schools with the activist group Union del Barrio searching for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. During a CBS ride-along outside Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in downtown Los Angeles, Cardona spotted a Ford Explorer with tinted windows and instructed her colleague to photograph the vehicle. The car turned out to belong to a private citizen. No ICE agents were found despite multiple false alarms.
Cardona explained her patrol methods focus on vehicles with tinted windows or those double-parked near schools. She claimed the group receives tips from community members about possible federal agent activity. The teacher insisted her team does not engage with agents directly, only alerts the community to their presence. United Teachers Los Angeles chapter chair Jon Paul Arciniega defended the operation, calling it beautiful to witness teachers devoting personal time to watching neighborhoods.
Public Backlash Grows Online
Social media erupted with criticism over teachers using their positions to help illegal immigrants evade federal law enforcement. Conservative commentator Libs of TikTok questioned why taxpayer-funded educators would protect people in the country illegally, suggesting the patrols prove Los Angeles schools enroll illegal immigrant students. Multiple users contrasted the teacher patrols with the absence of similar efforts to combat crime, drug dealing, or prostitution in city parks.
Critics pointed out the troubling priorities as Los Angeles Unified School District returns to school this week facing severe budget cuts and layoffs. The nation’s second-largest school district could exhaust its cash reserves by 2027. On July 2, Los Angeles County Superintendent Debra Duardo issued a rare Lack of Going Concern determination, warning the district may fail to meet financial obligations during the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.
Federal Enforcement Continues Despite Resistance
The teacher patrols come as ICE maintains operations in California despite local resistance. Earlier this week, federal agents arrested Charles Peter Billone, a 64-year-old Canadian fugitive who lived in California for 30 years while wanted for sexually assaulting a child in his home country. The arrest demonstrated ICE’s continued effectiveness despite organized efforts to interfere with enforcement operations targeting illegal immigrants and fugitives from justice across the state.