As immigration agents begin a nationwide crackdown to deport individuals unlawfully staying in the U.S., local school officials are preparing staffers in case federal officers showed up on campus, with one Colorado county telling employees to adhere to the process already in place for similar visits. 

In a letter to school leaders, Douglas County School District Superintendent  Erin Kane said the possibility of ICE agents showing up on campus is unlikely. Nonetheless, Kane said, a school should follow the protocol in place for situations in which an agency, such as the Colorado Department of Human Services, arrives to take custody of a student.

That includes contacting the safety or security dispatch and the county’s legal department, which would then request for a copy of the removal order and review it to “ensure the student may be legally released to the agency,” Kane said.

Douglas County School District has nearly 62,000 students and is located in one of the state’s more Republican-dominated areas.

County officials earlier sued the state, targeting a 2023 law that restricts the ability of state and local governments from making agreements with federal immigration officials over the detention of immigrants who are unlawfully staying in the country, as well as a 2019 statute that blocks local law enforcers from arresting or detaining an immigrant solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer.

A Denver court dismissed the lawsuit; Douglas County said it would appeal the case.

Last week, the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era procedure known as the “sensitive locations policy,” which instructs ICE and Border Patrol agents to avoid enforcement actions in certain locations such as schools, churches and hospitals.

In Denver, school officials responded by, among other things, encouraging parents to opt out of updating their school directories information. Denver Public Schools also reiterated to school leaders that its policy does not permit ICE agents on campus.

In her letter to Douglas County’s school leaders, Kane said she spoke with local law enforcement agencies about immigration.

“They have all assured me that there will be no change in current practices related to entering our schools to detain or remove a student,” Kane said. “Currently, law enforcement does not enter our schools to arrest a student unless the student is accused of a very serious crime, and is considered a potential danger to other students.”

Approximately 733,000 school-aged children are estimated to be in living the U.S. unlawfully, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Many more have U.S. citizenship but have parents who are in the country illegally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.