Chicago Public Schools officials claimed Friday that federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed up at an elementary school in the city’s South Side but were blocked by staff from entering.
The account, which triggered alarms and reports of parents and grandparents pulling their children from school, was quickly challenged by ICE spokesman David Yost, who denied the incident ever took place. Instead, it turns out, it was the U.S. Secret Service that had dispatched agents to the school while conducting a “protective intelligence investigation.”
A spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency “was investigating a threat to one of our protectees in reference to the recent TikTok ban.”
“That investigation led to a home next to the school,” Anthony Guglielmi told NBC Chicago. “Then after, they went to the school as part of the investigation. They identified themselves as Secret Service and left business cards.”
Alex Pfeiffer, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and principal deputy communications director, called out several Chicago-based outlets for “fake news”.
Guglielmi’s account differed from what Chicago school leaders told parents, staff, students, and the press following the incident. They claimed immigration agents attempted to enter Hamline Elementary School but were denied entry.
“School staff followed CPS established protocols,” CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said in a news conference Friday afternoon. “They kept ICE agents outside of the school and contacted CPS law department and CPS Office of Safety and Security for further guidance. The ICE agents were not allowed into the school and were not permitted to speak to any students or staff members.”
Hamline Principal Natasha Ortega also confirmed the presence of ICE agents and said the school would not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
‘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,” Ortega said.
Fanny Diego Alvarez, chief of family and community engagement for the district, maintained the “ICE agents said they were [Department of Homeland Security].”
The chaotic incident comes on the heels of a Tuesday announcement by the Trump administration that it would allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches, and hospitals, reversing a policy that had been in effect for 14 years.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a statement from the Department of Homeland Security said.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are an estimated 733,000 school-aged children in the U.S. illegally.
A resolution passed by CPS’ Board of Education in November said schools would not help ICE in enforcing immigration law.
“We’re trying to simplify for our staff, making it clear we’re just not going to interact with ICE,” district CEO Pedro Martinez said.
He told the Associated Press that he anticipated little fallout from a new Justice Department directive to investigate state or local officials blocking the federal crackdown on immigration.
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He added that if any federal agents turned up at any of Chicago’s 633 public schools they would have to present a valid court order and that even then “they’re going to have to go through my legal department.”
Martinez maintained Friday evening that the agents who came to Hamline “showed credentials to my staff” that indicated they were ICE.
