At a Ramona Unified School District board meeting last Wednesday, trustee Maya Phillips said that from a practical perspective, the more illegal aliens with children are deported from Ramona, the better the student-to-teacher ratio. The remark, delivered during a discussion about immigration enforcement on school property, quickly made its way through town and has alarmed parents and local leaders.
What she said
According to SFGATE, Phillips went on to argue that the departure of families without legal status would "better the quality of education for our American and legal immigrant children" and noted that lower student-to-teacher ratios are something teacher unions routinely push for. The comments came during the section of the meeting reserved for individual board-member remarks, and no other trustee offered an immediate response. As SFGATE reports, coverage of the March 4 meeting includes video of the exchange and a summary of the district's initial reaction.
Why advocates worry
Immigrant-rights advocates say comments like these intensify fear in communities already living with stepped-up enforcement, and they point to local detention numbers to show why people are rattled. Federal records and local reporting indicate that ICE arrested more than 250 children in San Diego and Imperial counties in 2025, a sharp increase that advocates link to rising trauma and student absenteeism, according to KPBS. Critics warn that talking about children as headcount problems instead of students can discourage attendance and make it harder for districts to connect with families who are already reluctant to engage.
Policy and legal context
California law and state-recommended guidance stress that public schools are meant to be safe, welcoming places for students regardless of immigration status, and that districts are required to limit cooperation with immigration enforcement except when the law leaves no choice. A fact sheet from the California School Boards Association explains that local education agencies must adopt policies that protect student privacy and set clear rules for handling immigration-enforcement requests, including bans on asking about immigration status during enrollment, according to CSBA. Those protections are designed to keep students in classrooms and reduce disruption from enforcement actions on or near school grounds.
District response
Board President Daryn Drum told reporters that Phillips was speaking only for herself and that her remarks do not reflect the position of the board or the district, and he said the district does not know the immigration status of any of its students, per SFGATE. The district declined to say whether Phillips will face any discipline. Phillips, for her part, issued a statement to local media asserting that she had "shared factual, correct observations about the potential practical effects of federal immigration enforcement policies." Parents who have watched the meeting recording are now pressing the district to spell out exactly what protections exist for students and their families.
What’s next
San Diego County is home to a large number of residents without legal status, with the Migration Policy Institute estimating that about 159,000 unauthorized immigrants live in the county, according to the Migration Policy Institute. District leaders say that reality shapes every conversation about enrollment, school funding and student wellbeing. After Phillips' comments, trustees have been put on notice that their words about immigration and school policy will be closely scrutinized at upcoming board meetings.
