Two Democratic senators are accusing federal immigration agents of tricking school staffers in Los Angeles into giving them access to an elementary school, where they tried to detain young children.
The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel reportedly told staff at two schools that they were performing “welfare checks” as a way to gain access to school grounds. It does not appear any children were taken into ICE custody after they were later turned away from both facilities.
The incidents, which took place at Russell Elementary School and Lillian Street Elementary School, are the first reported attempt by ICE to enter school grounds after the Trump administration authorized classroom immigration raids.
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Trump changed federal laws immediately after taking office to allow raids at schools, churches, and hospitals, ending a ban that had been in effect since 2011.
California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff slammed the Trump administration for allowing the breach of trust, K-12 Drive reported Tuesday. They added that ICE’s actions “terrorized hundreds of thousands of students across Los Angeles.”
The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers showed up at two LA Unified School District elementary schools in early April and misled faculty into thinking they had permission from parents to speak with students. School staff turned them away after administrators checked with district leadership and legal counsel.
“When we spoke, we informed you that reports indicated that, while attempting to enter the schools, HSI officers falsely told school staff that they received permission from the families to speak with their children,” wrote Padilla and Schiff in a letter to Robert Hammer, the acting executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations.
A DHS spokesperson told K-12 Dive that the incident had “nothing to do with immigration enforcement” and the check was to ensure immigrant children “are safe and not being exploited, abused, and sex trafficked.”
Padilla and Schiff don’t buy it. They warned HSI against attempting to visit schools without a warrant.
“We are deeply concerned that HSI officers attempted to question several children, between first and sixth grade, during the school day apparently without contacting or coordinating in advance with the schools, parents or guardians, or state or local child welfare agencies,” they wrote. “Though the agents were purportedly there to conduct a ‘welfare check’ on the children, their actions instead terrorized hundreds of thousands of students across Los Angeles and undermine public trust.”
Padilla and Schiff demanded answers from HSI about why the immigration officers were blatantly lying to school staff and told Hammer that he had until May 2 to respond to them.
“We would like to understand what steps you are taking to review and address your agents’ conduct, including determining why they said they received permission to speak with children from their families when that was not the case,” they wrote.
They continued: “These types of ‘welfare checks’ scare children and their family members, rather than promote their safety. If ICE and HSI want to ensure unaccompanied children’s welfare, these agencies should urge the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House to restore legal and social services for these children, rather than terrorizing them and their classmates at school.”
School staff and teachers across the country have reported increased anxiety from students after Trump approved school raids, which were previously off-limits.
Denver Public Schools in February filed a lawsuit that said the new policy has led to a noticeable drop in attendance and is damaging the district’s ability to educate and provide for children.
