The Department of Homeland Security wants leaders to know one thing: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not raid or target K12 schools.
According to a issued by the department on Tuesday, it is “extremely rare” for ICE to take any action against a particular individual located at a school. Officers would need secondary supervisor approval before such action can be taken.
“The facts are DHS’s directive allowing ICE to go into schools gives our law enforcement the ability to do their jobs,” the release reads.
Many media outlets, includingDistrict 91心頭istration, have spoken with school leaders who sought to prepare their schools for interactions with ICE by measures of communicating school protocols to parents, consulting with the district’s in-house legal team,and more.
Meanwhile, the immigration status of a student’s parents remains a concern to leaders.
During an appearance on , Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stated that the district has added bus routes to provide safe passage from students’ homes to school, based on requests.
“We have partnerships with legal agencies that provide assistance to us in terms of legal representation at no cost to children who may be facing legal issues specific to the immigration status of their parents,” he told the news outlet.
意鞄艶油 has also reported that immigrant children are leaving communities without notice in fear of ICE raids.
“The amount of fear and uncertainty that is going through parents’ heads, who could blame somebody for making a choice to leave?” Andrea Renter鱈a, principal of a Denver elementary school, told the news outlet.
In light of this media coverage, DHS said that news organizations are “attempting to create a climate of fear and smear law enforcement.”
“ICE is not conducting enforcement operations at, or ‘raiding,’ schools,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “If a dangerous illegal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect public safety. But this has not happened.”
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