The Brownsville Independent School District says they saw a larger drop in student enrollment than predicted and they believe immigration fears are keeping some students out of schools.

"Where our community used to feel safe. Not anymore," Border Workers United Executive Director Lupita Sanchez said.

Border Workers United is an organization that fights for the rights of all workers. 

Sanchez says her team knows of at least seven Brownsville ISD families who are keeping students away from schools.

"We have several members who have stopped sending their kids to schools due to concerns they have on ICE being around schools, churches, hospitals," Sanchez said.

Sanchez says most of the families have decided to move back to Mexico.

"It's very sad to see these things happening when we kind of predicted them happening last year. Communities are very afraid, they feel harassed," Sanchez said.

Brownsville ISD originally projected to lose 1,100 students in the 2025-2026 school year. They ended up losing 600 more than anticipated.

District officials told Channel 5 News about factors including a drop in birthrates and students moving to private schools.

Brownsville ISD Superintendent Dr. Jesus Chavez says immigration enforcement is another driver in their drop in enrollment.

"When the federal government wanted to take a look at who was here legally and illegally and then taking people in and exporting people or sending people out of our country, that, yes we lost a number of families," Chavez said.

Sanchez says fear of deportations is an issue they're seeing in communities across the Rio Grande Valley.

"Non-profit organizations, who work very diligently with families again in vulnerable areas, they are saying the same thing," Sanchez said.

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