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In a statement Friday evening, Chicago Public Schools leaders
said that after their initial comments went out about ICE
agents, they learned the agents were from the Secret Service.
The false alarm heightened fears among immigrant communities in
the country’s third-largest city.
“Our original communication was a result of a misunderstanding,
reflective of the fear and concerns in the community amid the
new administration’s focus on undocumented immigrants,” the
statement said.
The Trump administration touted deportation efforts this week
and published new rules making it easier to remove people as
part of a flurry of actions to crack down on illegal
immigration.
The statement from Chicago Public Schools said two people showed
up at the door of Hamline Elementary School and presented
identification including the name Department of Homeland
Security, the federal agency that oversees ICE. School officials
responded to the agents with the understanding that they were
from ICE, amid rumors and reports that the agency was in the
community, school district officials said.
The agents were from the Secret Service Chicago Field Office and
visited the school while investigating a threat made against a
government official they protect, according to statement sent by
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. He said agents
first visited a home in a local neighborhood and then went to
the school.
“Agents identified themselves to the school principal and
provided business cards with their contact information,” the
statement said.
He said the agents left without incident.
“We do not investigate nor enforce immigration laws,” the
statement said.
ICE officials said in a statement that no immigration
enforcement actions took place Friday at or near a school in
Chicago.
Chicago Public Schools officials said the agents were not
allowed into the school or to speak with staff or students.
“While this was a misunderstanding in terms of the specific
branch of DHS, the school’s response demonstrates that our
system, in partnership with community organizations, is prepared
and ready to keep our students and staff safe,” the statement
said.
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