CNN
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to enter a Chicago elementary school Friday morning, but were not allowed to enter or speak to anyone inside, school officials said public offices in Chicago.
Around 11:15 a.m., ICE agents attempted to enter Hamline Elementary School, said Bogdana Chkoumbova, Chicago Public Schools director of education.
“School staff followed the protocols established by CPS,” Chkoumbova said during a news conference Friday. “They kept ICE agents out of the school and contacted the CPS Legal Department and the CPS Office of Safety and Security for additional guidance. ICE agents were not allowed into the school and were not allowed to speak to students or staff members.
Chkoumbova emphasized that protocols were being followed, ensuring the safety of students and staff, and reiterated CPS’s commitment to protecting students and families in accordance with the Illinois Trust Act and the Hospitality Order. the city of Chicago.
When contacted by CNN for comment, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials denied their agents’ involvement.
“This was not an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Friday afternoon.
Staff followed protocols, ensuring students’ safety and respecting their right to education, Hamline Principal Natasha Ortega said during the news conference.
“I am very grateful to all of our Hamline staff here for following all of our protocols and keeping our students safe,” Ortega said. “We will not open our doors to ICE, and we are here to protect our children and make sure they have access to a great education.”
Earlier this week, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman announced that federal immigration authorities would be authorized to arrest people and conduct enforcement actions in and near places such as churches and schools, marking a break with a long-standing policy aimed at avoiding so-called “sensitives”. areas.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in American schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, but will trust them to use common sense,” the statement read.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement established a policy in 2011 preventing agents from making arrests in sensitive locations. The Biden administration has issued similar guidance. Immigrant advocates share concerns about removing the policy, arguing it would stoke fear in immigrant communities and prevent children from going to school or people from seeking treatment in hospitals.
“There is no sanctuary for criminal aliens in this country, nor for child trafficking, for child trafficking or for child endangerment,” the adviser told Fox News on Friday. to Homeland Security Stephen Miller in response to reports that ICE had visited a Chicago elementary school. .
“ICE agents will take necessary actions to protect the lives and safety of our children and to identify those involved in the smuggling and trafficking of our children in order to conduct these investigations, in order to protect the safety and security of our children. safety of children all. Throughout the United States, federal law enforcement has unrestricted access to conduct basic investigations,” Miller said.