School officials at a Chicago elementary school denied entry to federal agents on Friday morning, mistaking them for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, when they were actually Secret Service agents conducting an investigation, reports CNN.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:15 am at Hamline Elementary School, as confirmed by Chicago Public Schools’ Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova.
The agents presented Department of Homeland Security identification upon arrival. School officials, aware of community rumours about ICE presence in the area, acted under the assumption that the agents were from ICE, according to a district spokesperson’s statement to CNN.
“Regardless of which branch of Homeland Security visited this school, officials followed the established protocols to ensure student safety,” the CPS spokesperson said. “The agents were not allowed into the school or permitted to speak with staff or students.”
The Secret Service later confirmed that they had approached the school while investigating a potential threat to a protectee, though they declined to identify the individual under protection, as is standard practice for such investigations.
A Secret Service representative informed that their Chicago branch was “investigating a threat made against a government official we protect.”
“In the course of their investigation, agents first visited a residence in a local neighborhood and then made a visit to Hamline Elementary School. Agents identified themselves to the school principal and provided business cards with their contact information. The agents left without incident. The Secret Service investigates all threats made against those we protect, we do not investigate nor enforce immigration laws,” said Anthony Guglielmi explained,
Educational institutions remained anxious whilst preparing for potential ICE agent interactions, following President Donald Trump’s announcement regarding a planned nationwide effort against illegal immigration, with Chicago potentially being targeted for enforcement.
Recently, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman declared that federal immigration officers would be authorised to conduct arrests and enforcement activities near and within locations such as churches and schools, abandoning the previous practice of avoiding these sensitive locations.
