CPS officials said that ICE agents were turned away after attempting to raid Hamline Elementary School at around 11:15 a.m. on Friday morning. The school is located in Chicago's predominately Hispanic Back of the Yards neighborhood. "We want to remind families and staff that CPS will continue to protect our students and their families," CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said during a press conference on Friday. "CPS does not ask for our families' immigration status. We will not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents... Our protocols were followed, our students and staff are safe." In an email sent to Newsweek on Friday night, a CPS spokesperson indicated that the earlier assumption that ICE agents were attempting to raid the school was a "misunderstanding" and was "reflective of the fear and concerns in the community amid the new administration's focus on undocumented immigrants."
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) claimed to have faced an unprecedented situation Friday morning, Jan. 24, when agents attempted to enter one of the district’s elementary schools. However, while the visiting agents were initially reported to be from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it was later clarified that they were with the U.S. Secret Service. According to CPS officials, the incident occurred at an elementary school on Friday morning. Federal agents attempted to enter the building but school staff stopped them at the door. “The ICE agents were not allowed into the school and were not permitted to speak to any students or staff members,” said Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova.
Secret Service agents, not ICE, were denied access to a public elementary school in Chicago on Friday, ABC 7 reports. Chicago school officials initially said agents who identified themselves as ICE arrived at Hamline Elementary. The principal said his team followed protocols and did not allow the agents inside. "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," the principal, Natasha Ortega, said. A spokesperson for ICE later said, "This was not an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounter." 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."