Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE) attempted to carry out an immigration operation in an elementary school that has 90% Hispanic students in ChicagoIllinois, school officials confirmed.
School authorities did not allow immigration agents to enter and, in a press conference, confirmed that all students are safe.
“ICE agents were not allowed to enter the school and they were not allowed to speak to any students or staff members,” said Bogdana Chkoumbova, Chief Education Officer (CEdO) of Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
The events occurred at Hamline Elementary School, a K-8 campus with 529 students. These are children between five and 14 years old.
“Our protocols were followed. “We are very grateful to our school staff for following the district’s established protocol,” the official added.
He assured that the students are protected under state guidelines and that none of them are asked about their immigration status.
“CPS does not ask about the immigration status of our family (student). We will not coordinate with immigration and customs control. “It does not share student records with ICE, except in the rare case where there is a court order or the consent of a parent or parent or guardian,” the school official added.
As experts have noted, ICE agents attempting to enter closed spaces must have a warrant signed by a judge, so Chkoumbova confirmed that policy will remain in place.
“We will not allow ICE agents to access CPS facilities unless they present a criminal warrant signed by a federal judge.and we will not admit ICE agents to our school based on an administrative order, an ICE detainer or other document issued by an agency that enforces civil immigration laws,” he added.
After being denied entry to the campus, the ICE agents left. There were no details about the type of operation they intended to implement.
End of ‘sensitive areas’ policy
ICE had a policy of avoiding operations in ‘sensitive areas’, which included schools, churches, shelters, courts and other spaces, but will officially no longer apply such restriction to its operations.
The case of the school in Chicago is the first officially reported as an attempt by ICE agents to carry out a raid, following executive orders from President Donald Trump, which expand actions against undocumented immigrants.
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