Schools, advocates work to reassure parents, students amid growing fears over ICE raids

Students’ fears of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting parents and loved ones have suburban and state education officials concerned about the potential for disruption and a rise in truancy.

The Department of Homeland Security has stepped up immigration enforcement in the Chicago region in the past two weeks with “Operation Midway Blitz.”

Though such raids have been more prevalent in Chicago’s immigrant communities, including some outside schools, select suburbs also have seen increased ICE action. The state’s largest education unions and advocates are now warning schools, parents and communities to be vigilant.

At West Chicago Elementary District 33, school principals reported buses were running half full on Tuesday, Superintendent Kristina Davis said.

“And we had between 15% to 25% absenteeism, which is very much out of the normal for us,” Davis said. “My understanding from the principals was that the primary reason for many was fear of leaving their homes.”

Davis said the district’s five elementary schools, one junior high and one preschool — educating about 3,000 students — will have additional support through a team of liaisons assigned to each building.

“They are going to be out there supporting and making sure that parents feel comfortable,” she said. “Safety is a very important factor in learning. When a child’s safety feels compromised, when they feel concern for their safety or for their family’s safety, that is where their focus is centered, which is why we put so many things in place in schools to ensure that children feel safe so that they can learn.”

The Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association separately issued statements admonishing ICE enforcement near schools.

“Our schools must remain sanctuaries for children and families, not sites of fear and trauma. Immigration arrests in and around schools tear at the fabric of trust that educators work so hard to build,” the IFT statement reads. “We’re hearing of ICE using armored vehicles, brutal force, and weapons of war like flash grenades and drones to terrorize people who are simply trying to get their children to school on time.”

The IEA said, “ICE raids instill fear, disrupt families and destabilize the learning environment for thousands of children.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was in Chicago last week, defended the stepped-up enforcement saying it targets “violent offenders” with outstanding arrest warrants.

“President Trump has been clear: if politicians will not put the safety of their citizens first, this administration will,” she said.

While several suburban districts reported there hasn’t been any ICE activity on school grounds so far, they still seek to calm growing anxiety over the presence of federal immigration agents in their towns through sharing information and resources.

Officials at Elgin Area School District U-46 — the state’s second-largest district, educating more than 33,000 students of whom 57.9% are Hispanic — say they have received numerous calls about federal authorities operating in Elgin.

“If federal authorities were to request entrance to our schools, we have a legal process that will be followed,” said Tara Burghart, U-46 assistant director of communications and community relations. Details can be found on the district’s website at u-46.org/resources/immigration-concerns.

Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 Superintendent Michael Connolly confirmed ICE agents have arrested family members of students since Monday in neighborhoods in Wheeling and Prospect Heights, though not near the district’s 13 schools.

Soon after initial immigration enforcement operations were announced in January, Connolly penned a letter to reassure parents of the legal standard should ICE agents attempt to enter a school building — namely, a warrant signed by a judge.

“We have seen instances of students who have been absent, and the reporting that their parents have provided is that there are concerns about ICE presence in the neighborhoods,” Connolly said. “Our overall attendance since this operation started hasn’t been greatly impacted. It has been a little bit more this week, but again, not a significant percentage of our student population.”

Volunteers with Mano A Mano Family Resource Center in Round Lake Park have been alerting communities and schools of ICE presence and action. The nonprofit has been working with schools in the Round Lake area, Waukegan, North Chicago and soon Mundelein, said center Executive Director Dulce Ortiz.

“If there is any ICE activity, we communicate that to the school districts so that they are able to put an alert out to parents,” Ortiz said. “With everything that is happening, our immigrant community is terrified to leave their homes. They are terrified to send their kids to school.”

The group has created rapid response teams in Lake County with 1,000 volunteers who work to verify, monitor and inform the public about ICE activity, and dispel any misinformation. Its members intervened after spotting ICE agents stationed near North Elementary School in Waukegan on Monday, taking pictures of their surveillance.

“There is a lot of unverified information on social media. It’s really causing a lot of panic, anxiety and stress,” Ortiz said. “We are there to document, observe and also let our community members know about their rights.”

• Daily Herald staff writers Dave Oberhelman and Chris Placek contributed to this report.