Agents believed to be from ICE who approached Chicago school are actually from the Secret Service

cnn
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Fearing that the federal agents asking to search a Chicago elementary school this Friday morning were from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), school officials denied them entry. But the US Secret Service later said its agents were there as part of an investigation.

Around 11:15 a.m. (local time), officers attempted to enter Hamline Elementary School, said Bogdana Chkoumbova, chief education officer for Chicago Public Schools. School officials initially said the agents were from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which ICE denied.

“This was not a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounter,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Friday afternoon.

The Chicago Police Department also told CNN that he was not called to the school.

The US Secret Service approached the Chicago elementary school Friday morning as they investigated a possible threat to a protectee, the agency told CNN. The agency did not name the protégé, as is common in investigations of this type.

A Secret Service spokesperson told CNN that the agency’s Chicago office was “investigating a threat made against a government official we protect.”

“In the course of their investigation, agents first visited a residence in a local neighborhood and then made a visit to Hamline Elementary School,” Anthony Guglielmi said. “The officers identified themselves to the school principal and provided business cards with their contact information. The officers left without incident. The Secret Service investigates all threats made against those we protect, we do not investigate or enforce immigration laws.”

School officials have been prepared for possible encounters with ICE agents since President Donald Trump announced a planned nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration and suggested Chicago could be a target for enforcement actions.

Earlier this week, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman announced that federal immigration authorities will be able to arrest people and carry out enforcement actions in and near places such as churches and schools, marking a departure from the policy of long history of avoiding so-called sensitive areas.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. “The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the statement read.

ICE established a policy in 2011 that prevents agents from making arrests in sensitive locations. The Biden administration issued similar guidance. Immigrant advocates have raised concerns about eliminating the policy, arguing that doing so would spread fear in immigrant communities and prevent children from going to school or people from seeking care at hospitals.

“There is no sanctuary for criminal aliens in this country, nor is there sanctuary for child trafficking, child smuggling or child endangerment,” National Security Advisor Stephen Miller told Fox News on Friday in response. to reports that ICE went to the elementary school.

“ICE officers will take necessary actions to protect the lives and safety of our children and identify individuals who are involved in the smuggling and trafficking of our children to conduct these investigations, to protect the safety of children in Throughout the United States, federal law enforcement has unrestricted access to conduct basic investigations,” Miller said.

Meanwhile, school officials explained their position and how they handled Friday’s incident.

“School staff followed the protocols established by CPS,” Chkoumbova said at a news conference Friday. “They kept ICE agents out of the school and contacted the CPS legal department and the CPS Office of Safety and Security for further guidance. “ICE agents were not allowed to enter the school or speak to any students or staff members.”

Chkoumbova emphasized that protocols were followed, ensuring the safety of students and staff, and reiterated the district’s commitment to protecting students and families in accordance with the Illinois Trust Act and the Chicago Welcoming City Ordinance. The district does not request or share families’ immigration status with ICE, he said.

The district will only allow ICE agents into schools with a criminal court order signed by a federal judge, and access will not be granted based on administrative orders or detainers, Chkoumbova said.

Staff followed protocols, ensuring students’ safety and upholding their right to an education, Hamline Principal Natasha Ortega said at the news conference.

“I am very grateful to all of our Hamline staff here for maintaining all of our protocols and ensuring the safety of our students,” Ortega said. “We will not open our doors to ICE, and we are here to protect our children and make sure they have access to an excellent education.”

Priscilla Alvarez, Whiney Wild and Bill Kirkos CNN contributed to this report.