Chicago Public Schools said its officials erred Friday when they claimed immigration agents had gone to a school, mistaken information that caused alarm amid fears of a new White House administration.
The agents who went to Hamline Elementary School were actually with U.S. Secret Service, and not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as district officials initially said.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service said they were “investigating a threat to one of our protectees in reference to the recent TikTok ban,” and had gone to a home next to the school, and then to the school itself.
“Secret Service does not investigate or enforce immigration matters,” the Secret Service spokesman, Anthony Gugliemi, said in the statement to NBC Chicago.
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The two federal agents were not allowed in the school and left without entering, Chicago Public Schools said.
The district said that “officials followed the established protocols to ensure student safety” and contacted Chicago Public Schools’ Law Department and Office of Safety and Security.
“While this was a misunderstanding in terms of the specific branch of DHS, the school’s response demonstrates that our system, in partnership with community organizations, is prepared and ready to keep our students and staff safe,” Chicago Public Schools said.
The mistaken report comes less than a week after President Donald Trump, who campaigned on deporting people who are in the country without authorization, was inaugurated on Monday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sought to allay fears and clear up confusion, writing on social media Friday night that it was Secret Service and not ICE.
“We understand that many are rightfully feeling scared at the moment,” Johnson wrote on X. “Chicago remains a Welcoming City, dedicated to protecting every resident.”
“While people across the city are worried about heightened immigration enforcement, it is imperative that individuals not spread unverified information that sparks fear across the city,” Johnson said in a statement.
In Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Another order Trump signed seeks to end birthright citizenship, which a federal judge has temporarily blocked.
On Wednesday, Trump signed an order that directs the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State to “take all necessary action to immediately repel, repatriate and remove illegal aliens across the southern border of the United States.”
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