Campus Administrators’ Responses to Donald Trump’s Immigration Policy: Leadership During Times of Uncertainty

Donald J. Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States in November 2016, after more than a year of campaigning on many major issues. Among the key issues presented during then-candidate Trump’s campaign was immigration reform. While Latinos make up the largest ethnic group of non-citizens in the U.S., most of these individuals have resided in the U.S. for a long period of time, have strong family ties, and have children who are lawful U.S. citizens (Baum, 2010; Almeida, Johnson, McNamara, & Gupta, 2011; Sharpless, 2017). The Trump administration’s early days involved a flurry of executive orders and other measures aimed at increasing the enforcement of immigration laws and blocking admission to the U.S. by individuals from specific countries. The purpose of this exploratory research study was to interview principals who lead Hispanic-majority elementary, middle, and high schools to determine how students and school communities are reacting to President Trump’s current policy and rhetoric regarding immigration, and how these principals are responding to the students and communities they serve.