Zena Stenvik Speaks at Hearing: How Trump’s Immigration Agenda Endangers Children

My name is Zena Stenvik. I serve as the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools in Minnesota. This testimony reflects my first-hand experience with the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its impact on my school community. I have also consulted with our licensed school-based mental health clinicians to better understand the trauma responses that we are seeing in children affected by Operation Metro Surge. Columbia Heights Public Schools is located adjacent to Northeast Minneapolis with about 3,400 students and we have a very diverse student population. Columbia Heights is a designated City of Peace and was recognized as an All-America City in 2016 by the National Civic League. In October of 2025, ICE activity began to ramp up in our area. On January 6th, our first student was detained with her mother on their way to school. She was 10 years old. By that afternoon, they had been whisked away to a detention center in Texas. This was the first of seven of our students who would be detained, including five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos. None of the families I've worked with entered this country unlawfully. They were permitted to be here by the United States government. I personally reviewed their documentation. I saw their alien registration numbers, documentations of their scheduled check-in appointments. It became clear to me that these were not operations targeted towards violent criminals. No, their actions consisted of racially profiling black and brown people who had happened to drive by where ICE was staged. It became a daily occurrence to see multiple ICE vehicles driving in front of and behind our schools, especially during arrival and dismissal times. There were times where we had to pull kids in from the playground or delay dismissal due to heavy ICE presence near our school grounds. ICE vehicles came onto our school property multiple times. Because many families were too afraid to leave their homes, neighbors transported children to and from school, and teachers walked groups of students home as ICE vehicles circled. Our PTOs, community members, local food shelves, and churches mobilized to provide safe transportation, food delivery, rent assistance, and essential resources to families. Several 16- and 17-year-olds were pulled over by ICE agents while driving to school. I'm not sure if anyone in the room is a combat veteran, but one of my colleagues saw a photo of my 17-year-old student apprehended and flanked by armed men in fatigues, faces covered, and said, this looks like Fallujah, a war zone, our peaceful community compared to a war zone. The impact on our students has occurred on three distinct levels. First are the children who were directly detained in Texas. Those who have returned came home sick, and their parents forced to wear ankle monitors despite no crimes being committed. Second are the children who were sequestered in their homes for months, attending school virtually out of fear. The third group includes students who are not in any danger of being detained, but lived in constant fear due to the pervasive ICE presence in our community. These students ask questions like, can I be taken? Will my mom be home after school? Six of our seven detained students have returned home, and most of our elementary students have come back to in-person learning. However, as they return, we are observing clear and concerning signs of trauma. While children are resilient, and I'm cautious to not generalize trauma, the patterns we are seeing are consistent and significant. We are seeing increased separation anxiety with students struggling to be apart from their parents during the school day after months and months of confinement and fear. We're seeing heightened difficulty with transitions. One student who was detained in Texas now experiences distress when leaving the classroom to go to art or gym class. He reported that separation from their trusted teacher in classroom removes a sense of safety. We're also seeing increased stress responses, such as fight, flight, freeze, among students who experienced direct or indirect trauma. Students are more fearful of strangers and unfamiliar vehicles, particularly SUVs or individuals in uniform, which they often associate with ICE agents. Even distant sirens can trigger anxiety. During a recent tornado drill, some students asked whether they were sheltering because of ICE. Children are expressing deep concerns about housing instability, food insecurity, financial hardship. Many have experienced abrupt moves, leaving behind belongings, and facing uncertainty about their future. These experiences are contributing to a profound sense of instability and insecurity. While there are signs of gradual improvement and students are expressing excitement about going outside and returning to everyday activities, there remains a persistent underlying fear of ICE and family separation. Operation Metro Surge will have lasting and deeply harmful effects on our students, families, and broader school communities for years to come. Thank you.