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Citing a “misunderstanding” and pointing to community fears, Chicago Public Schools officials conceded Friday night that they were mistaken in reporting that federal immigration agents had shown up that morning at a predominantly Latino elementary school.
Two federal agents who came to Hamline Elementary in the city’s Back of the Yards neighborhood were in fact U.S. Secret Service agents, the agency and district confirmed.
The fear, confusion, and conflicting accounts could be a preview of what’s to come in the weeks ahead at schools with large immigrant populations now that longstanding protections are gone.
The second Trump administration has moved swiftly to follow through on campaign promises to crack down on immigration, putting communities on edge and school officials on alert.
Earlier this week, the administration cleared the way for immigration enforcement at or near schools, churches, and other “sensitive” locations that have been considered off-limits for years.
On Friday afternoon, Chicago Public Schools officials told the media that staff at the elementary school had followed district protocol and blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from entering the school at about 11:15 a.m. CPS chief education officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said school staff contacted CPS’s legal and security departments and did not allow the agents to speak to students or staff.
District policy is to not allow ICE into schools unless agents present a criminal judicial warrant signed by a federal judge.
“We will not open our doors for ICE, and we are here to protect our children and make sure they have access to an excellent education,” said Natasha Ortega, the school principal.
That triggered a series of statements that painted a different picture of events.
Later in the afternoon, an ICE spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times the agency was not involved. Then, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that it was Chicago-based Secret Service agents investigating a threat against “a government official we protect” who went to the school after first visiting a residence.
“Agents identified themselves to the school principal and provided business cards with their contact information,” Guglielmi said. “The agents left without incident. The Secret Service investigates all threats made against those we protect, we do not investigate nor enforce immigration laws.”
On Friday night, CPS issued a statement with its revised version of events: that two individuals arrived at the school door and “presented identification that includes the name Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that oversees ICE.”
The Secret Service is also housed under the homeland security department.
CPS said school officials responded to the agents thinking they were from ICE, “amid rumors and reports that the agency was in the community,” and acted accordingly.
“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 district said.
The district said its response “demonstrates that our system, in partnership with community organizations, is prepared and ready to keep our students and staff safe.”
The morning’s events sent ripples of fear through Hamline Elementary, a K-8 school that is 92% Latino and where more than 68% of the student population are considered English learners, a number that grew by 20% over the past decade.
As the news spread through the school and the neighborhood, a handful of parents and guardians came to the school in the frigid cold; a couple of people appeared to be taking their children out of school early for the day.
One Hamline staffer, who requested anonymity, said the school went into a 30-minute lockdown during the incident. CPS officials did not immediately confirm the lockdown.
Rumors have been swirling all week that Chicago – a so-called sanctuary city – would be the target of increased immigration enforcement in the wake of President Donald Trump taking office. Trump has already signed a series of executive orders aimed at immigration, including getting rid of the “sensitive location” policy that required ICE to get approval to conduct arrests at or near schools and churches.
The Trump administration has also ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and possibly charge local officials who don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement. CPS does not ask for or track students’ immigration status, and late last year the Board of Education approved a resolution reaffirming the district’s intention to protect immigrant students.
Since last week, CPS has issued guidance to school staff and families about what to do if ICE agents come to a campus building.
Earlier this week, district CEO Pedro Martinez told Chalkbeat that families should not be afraid to send their children to school. Despite the reassurances, unfounded rumors of ICE raids at other Chicago schools have circulated.
CPS reiterated it will not share student information with ICE, “except in the rare case where there is a court order or consent from a parent or guardian.”
Outside Hamline on Friday, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates told reporters that the union has been working on initiatives and training since Trump’s first term to help staff know about their rights related to immigration.
“Schools are for children; schools are open for children,” she said. “We’re gonna work our hardest to make sure that our children and their families know that they can come in this place with our members and feel both supported and protected – not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.”
Gloria Marquez, a lifelong Back of the Yards resident and mother of two Hamline students, came to the school just before 1 p.m. after hearing about what was happening. Marquez declined to take her children out early and said she wasn’t fearful of immigration agents. But she expressed anger at the thought of immigration enforcement showing up, saying that if someone is “not a criminal, then they don’t deserve to go back” to their native country.
Marquez said the fear of increased immigration enforcement has been palpable in the neighborhood. A local store she frequents was far emptier than usual on Friday. People are not walking around “like they used to,” she said.
Earlier this week, Marquez said she received an email from the principal noting that the school’s attendance was about 60% on Wednesday and wondered if parents were hesitant to send their kids to school. The long weekend and cold weather could also be factors.
Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.
