The U.S. Secret Service clarified Friday that it was its agents, not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who conducted an operation near Hamline Elementary School in Chicago following a threat against former President Donald Trump. The agency highlighted it does not enforce immigration laws and only investigates threats.
The operation began at a home near the school and later extended to the school grounds. Secret Service agents identified themselves and left identification cards during their brief visit before departing, the agency said.
Earlier, Bogdana Chkoumbova, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said officials initially believed ICE agents were involved. She said that school staff followed protocol by denying agents access to the building or its students. "The staff ensured that students and workers remained safe," Chkoumbova said, adding that no arrests occurred.
A Homeland Security spokesperson later confirmed ICE was not involved, according to Telemundo. Natasha Ortega, Hamline Elementary's principal, reiterated the school's stance against allowing ICE agents access without a court order. "We are here to protect our kids," she told NBC News.
Hamline Elementary, which serves 572 students—92% of whom are Hispanic and 98% from low-income families—has become emblematic of broader tensions surrounding immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration, which recently took office, has implemented policies empowering ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to carry out immigration enforcement in schools, churches, and hospitals—areas previously considered safe zones under Biden-era guidelines. Homeland Security told NBC News this week that the agencies are now tasked with preventing individuals from evading arrest in such spaces.
A memo leaked days before Trump's inauguration indicated plans for a large-scale ICE operation in Chicago. While Hamline Elementary was not part of this effort, ICE has made 538 arrests nationwide in recent days, nearly doubling the September 2024 daily average of 282 arrests, according to the agency.
The incident comes amid a nationwide ICE operation under the Trump administration, which has led to over 460 arrests across multiple states, including Illinois. The federal operation primarily targets undocumented immigrants with criminal records, though arrests have been reported in other communities.
The Trump administration has revoked decade-long protections that barred immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals, churches, and other designated "sensitive areas", marking a major shift in U.S. immigration policy. The policy change removes guidelines introduced by ICE in 2011 and later adopted by CBP in 2013. The measures were aimed at ensuring that enforcement actions did not discourage undocumented individuals from accessing essential services.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and CBP, defended the move, saying it empowers law enforcement to act more freely. "Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest," the agency said, adding that the administration "trusts them to use common sense."
K-12 schools across the United States are focusing on safeguarding undocumented students and their families by reinforcing privacy rights, building trust, and providing resources.
In response to the Trump administration repealing a policy prohibiting ICE arrests near "sensitive locations," including schools, the second largest town in Massachusetts vowed to protect students from agents waiting near bus stops. Worcester Public Schools sent a letter to teachers and students' homes, informing them that administration will neither coordinate with ICE nor allow agents without a warrant from a federal judge into their buildings.
At the same time, the chief administrator of Denver Public Schools has defied Trump, saying that ICE will not be allowed on his campuses after the president authorized agents to conduct deportation raids at schools.
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