Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan issued a warning to parents, saying that “illegal aliens” could be “hiding” in local schools and threatening “children’s safety.”
In a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon, Jordan, a Republican, shared a report by KOAT regarding two separate incidents in which undocumented migrants walked into Santa Teresa Middle School in Sunland Park, New Mexico, forcing the school into lockdown. The incidents occurred within a week, according to the school district.
“Illegal aliens found hiding in a New Mexico middle school. The school has been put on lockdown twice for similar incidents. Parents worried for their children’s safety,” Jordan wrote in his post. “How long until this happens where you live?”
-Illegal aliens found hiding in a New Mexico middle school.
-The school has been put on lockdown twice for similar incidents.
-Parents worried for their children’s safety.
How long until this happens where you live? https://t.co/GTdD39ex2r
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 2, 2024
A press released shared with Newsweek on Thursday stated that a group of undocumented migrants entered the southern section of the middle school on March 20, prompting the principal, Danielle Rodriguez, to utilize the “rave panic button” that is part of the school’s safety app to report suspicious activity. The school was placed on “secure” status and everyone was directed to “get inside and lock outside doors.”
Officials at Santa Teresa worked with Sunland Park police, and the Gadsden Independent School District (GISD) said in a statement that it “would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the U.S. Border Patrol agents and the officers of the Sunland Park Police Department for their swift and professional response to this situation.”
The second incident occurred on March 27, which resulted in the campus being placed in secure mode for about 20 minutes and the apprehension of six migrants by Border Patrol agents, reported KFOX in El Paso, Texas.
According to Refugio Corrales, spokesperson with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, GISD is near the U.S. border with Mexico, meaning that similar events “happen weekly.”
“A lot of people in that area that try to evade arrest from our apprehensions do have a criminal history or have immigration issues,” Corrales told KOAT. “So that’s the reason why they just take off running and go through locations they’re not even familiar with.”
Newsweek reached out to U.S. Border Patrol for comment via email Tuesday night.
Republicans, including Jordan, have homed in on curbing illegal immigration as the number of encounters at the southern border has spiked in recent years. President Joe Biden‘s immigration policies have been scrutinized by GOP lawmakers and state politicians for being too lax and creating what Republicans call a “crisis” in border states. Biden has expressed his willingness to address immigration issues.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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