School officials in Chicago turned away federal agents who wanted to check an elementary school on Friday morning because they were concerned the agents were from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They were actually US Secret Service agents working on an investigation.
At about 11:15 a.m., the officers tried to get into Hamline Elementary School, according to Bogdana Chkoumbova, the Chief Education Officer of Chicago Public Schools. School leaders first claimed that the agents were from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but ICE rejected this. The district later found out that the agents who came to the school were from the Secret Service.
A spokesperson for the agency said in a statement to CNN on Friday afternoon, “This was not an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Two agents who came to the school showed ID from the Department of Homeland Security, which is the federal body that manages both the Secret Service and ICE. School officials replied to the agents, believing they were from ICE, due to rumors that the agency was in the area, a district spokeswoman told CNN.
“The CPS spokesperson told CNN on Friday night that no matter which part of Homeland Security came to the school, officials followed the rules to keep students safe.” “The agents couldn’t go into the school or talk to staff or students.”
On Friday morning, the US Secret Service went to a Chicago elementary school because they were looking into a possible threat to someone they protect, the agency said to CNN. The agency didn’t reveal the name of the person they are protecting, which is standard practice for these kinds of probes.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service told CNN that their Chicago office is looking into a threat against a government official they guard.
“During their investigation, agents first went to a house in a local neighborhood and then visited Hamline Elementary School,” said Anthony Guglielmi. Agents introduced themselves to the school director and gave him their business cards with their contact details. The agents left without any problems. The Secret Service looks into all threats against the people we protect, but we do not check or enforce immigration rules.
School officials were worried as they got ready for possible visits from ICE agents after President Trump announced plans to crack down on illegal immigration and mentioned that Chicago might be targeted.
“The first message we sent was due to a misunderstanding and was influenced by the community’s fears about the new administration’s focus on undocumented immigrants,” said the CPS representative.
Earlier this week, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman said that federal immigration authorities can now arrest people and enforce immigration laws near places like churches and schools. This is a change from the previous policy that avoided these sensitive areas.
“Criminals can no longer hide in schools and churches in America to escape being arrested.” The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the statement reads.
In 2011, Immigration and Customs Enforcement created a rule that stops officers from making arrests in important places. The Biden government released similar instructions. Immigrant supporters are worried about ending the policy. They say it could cause fear among immigrant families, making children less likely to go to school and people less likely to seek medical care.
Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News on Friday that there is no safe place in the country for criminals, including those involved in child trafficking, smuggling, or putting children in danger. He was responding to news that ICE went to an elementary school.
“ICE officers will do what is needed to keep our children safe and find those involved in smuggling and trafficking them. To protect children across America, federal law enforcement can freely carry out investigations,” Miller said.
School leaders earlier talked about their views and how they dealt with the incident that happened on Friday.
“We will not open our doors for ICE, and we are here to protect our children and make sure they have access to an excellent education,” Hamline Principal Natasha Ortega said in a news conference Friday afternoon.
Chkoumbova highlighted the district’s dedication to keeping children and families safe as per the Illinois Trust Act and Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance. The district does not request or share families’ legal status with ICE, she said.
The district will only let ICE officials into schools if they have a criminal warrant signed by a federal judge. They cannot enter with just administrative warrants or detainers, according to Chkoumbova.
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