Maryland child care leaders say immigration policies from the new Trump administration are spreading fear throughout a workforce that’s becoming increasingly more diverse.
For over a decade, day care centers were protected from ICE interference under the “sensitive locations” umbrella that included schools and hospitals. But President Donald Trump removed those guardrails his first day in office.
“None of these actions should be carried out where young children might witness them or be affected by them because they are so traumatic for families,” said Laura Weeldreyer, director of the early childhood nonprofit Maryland Family Network.
Anabela Rodas is chair of the Latino Child Care Association of Maryland and owner of Mi Escuelita Child Care in Silver Spring. In the past two weeks, she said multiple parents have asked to list her as an emergency guardian.
“Some of those parents told me like, ‘If I don't answer the phone, maybe I've been deported already. And so I wanted to ask you if my child can stay with you, since you’re kind of like the second parent,’” Rodas said. “I answer yes, because to me, the most important thing is the children continue getting an education and continue to be safe.”
Weeldreyer said some families are being forced to make decisions that sacrifice their child’s education because of safety concerns. Last week, she said, a parent was detained by ICE while dropping off their child at a center in Talbot County.
“The rest of the family was so scared to leave their house that staff ended up having to bring that baby home at the end of the day,” Weeldreyer said. “And what's even worse is that none of those children have been seen since that happened.”
These fears aren’t unique to the child care sector. But Weeldreyer said Maryland’s day care workforce is becoming increasingly more reliant on immigrant and Latino providers — who are worried about their own safety, too.
In 2023, state lawmakers changed child care licensure laws to no longer require a social security number. Instead, applicants can use a tax identification number. That’s helped a lot of immigrant providers stay in business, Rodas said.
“For years and years, we've been providing a good education to the children,” she said. “We're paying our taxes. We should be allowed to keep doing our job.”
Rodas said her focus is trying to keep all Latino child care providers calm and informed of their rights when interacting with immigration officials.
“We’re having seminars about how to help with the stress level, and informing them about what they can do and what police can do,” she said.
Weeldreyer said Maryland Family Network is relying on guidance from state and national partners, like the state education department. And she’s preparing for other barriers that could come from the Trump administration — like stipulations on Head Start contract renewals due this summer.
“What I was hearing is that when it's time to renew these grants, we're going to be asked to sign things that amount to loyalty oaths, anti-DEI, anti-LGBTQIA statements,” Weeldreyer said. “I don't know any of that as a fact, but even if it's not a fact, the perception that this might be happening and that we're all getting scared about it is very troubling and concerning.”
