Chicago Public Schools officials said in a press conference Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents showed up at an elementary school in the city but were denied entry.
The principal of Hamline Elementary School said on Friday morning that multiple ICE agents came to the school but were not allowed in by administrators.
The federal agency and local police officials did not give any details on the incident.
“This was not an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounter,” a spokesperson for ICE said.
Chicago Police said they “did not receive any calls for service at that location.”
School officials said they followed protocol that does not allow ICE agents in their buildings unless a warrant is present.
Natasha Ortega, principal of Hamline Elementary, said that due to training on the issue, they were “able to ensure the safety of our school and all of our students.”
“We will not open our door for ICE, and we are here to protect our children,” Ortega said.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said the arrival of agents was “unprecedented,” but officials emphasized all students and staff are safe.
Among other sweeping immigration actions in his first week in office, President Trump lifted the directive that previously kept ICE agents away from schools and places of worship.
Asked about the Chicago incident on Fox News, deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown, said “there’s no sanctuary for criminal aliens in this country.”
“ICE officers will take the actions necessary to protect the lives and safety of our children and to identify individuals who are involved in the smuggling and trafficking of our children,” Miller said.
School districts around the country are preparing for potential immigration enforcement action. Denver Public Schools, for example, has told administrators that if ICE agents show up to use an “intercom to communicate” and put in place a “secure perimeter” so they “do not allow entry into the building.”
—Updated at 4:58 p.m.
Source: The Hill