Chicago Public Schools said its officials made a mistake Friday when they claimed immigration agents had visited the school, false information that raised alarm amid concerns from the new White House administration.
The agents who went to Hamlin Elementary School were actually with the U.S. Secret Service, not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as district officials initially said.
A Secret Service spokesman said they were “investigating a threat to one of our guards in connection with the recent tuk-tuk ban,” and went to a home next to the school, and then the school itself.
“The Secret Service does not investigate or enforce immigration matters,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gaggemi said. NBC Chicago said in a statement.
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Chicago Public Schools said the two federal agents were not allowed in the school and were left unattended.
The district said “officials followed established protocols to ensure the safety of students” and contacted the Chicago Public Schools Law Department and Office of Safety and Security.
Chicago Public Schools said, “While this was a misunderstanding in the case of a specific branch of DHS, the school’s response demonstrates that our system, in partnership with community organizations, is committed to keeping our students and staff safe. Ready and prepared for.”
The report of the mistake comes less than a week after President Donald Trump, who has campaigned to deport people in the country without permission, was inaugurated on Monday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took to social media Friday night to try to quell fear and dispel confusion by writing that it was the Secret Service and not ICE.
“We understand that many people are rightfully afraid right now,” Johnson wrote on X. Chicago is a welcoming city, dedicated to the safety of every resident. “
“While people across the city are increasingly concerned about immigration enforcement, it is important that individuals do not spread unverified information that instills fear throughout the city,” Johnson said in a statement.
On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border. Trump has signed another order that seeks to end birthright citizenship, which a federal judge has temporarily blocked.
On Wednesday, Trump signed an order that directs the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State to “immediately remove, repatriate, and remove illegal aliens at the United States’ southern border.” All necessary action should be taken for this.”
