Federal agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were denied access to two Los Angeles elementary schools this week.
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said four plain-clothed individuals who identified themselves as Homeland Security agents visited Russell Elementary School on Monday and asked specific questions about four students ranging from first to sixth grade, NBC reports.
“I am still mystified as to how a first, second, third, fourth or sixth grader, would pose any type of risk to the national security of our nation, that would require Homeland Security to deploy its agents to two elementary schools,” Carvalho said. “What interest should Homeland Security have in a first-grader?”
Two hours later, agents arrived at Lillian Elementary School and asked questions about a sixth grader at the school. In both cases, Carvalho said the agents told staff that the students’ caretakers had authorized them to go to the schools and get “access” to the students.
“The agents represented in both instances to the principals that they wanted access to the students to determine their well being,” Carvalho said at a press conference Thursday. “It is disturbing that during that conversation, they conveyed to both principals that the parents or the legal guardians… provided them authorization for access to these kids in school. That is absolutely, blatantly untrue.”
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When administrators at both schools asked for identification, Carvalho said IDs were “pocketed,” preventing staff from obtaining badge numbers and further identification. The agents were ultimately turned away after it was determined they did not have a warrant.
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond released a statement Thursday saying he was “appalled” by the visits.
“They entered the campus without warrants, targeting young children who attend those schools. Every child in this country and in our state has a legal right to attend school and to learn, regardless of their immigration status. This right is enshrined in our state constitution and has been affirmed by the Supreme Court,” he wrote. “Families should never be afraid to send their children to school, and our schools must not become a place where children fear these sorts of actions. I am proud of our school employees who followed local protocols and denied these officers unauthorized access to innocent children who pose no risk to our national security.”
Homeland Security: Agents Were ‘Conducting Wellness Checks’ at LAUSD Schools
A Homeland Security spokesperson said the agents were at the schools “conducting wellness checks on children who arrived unaccompanied at the border.”
“This had nothing to do with immigration enforcement,” the spokesperson continued. “DHS is leading efforts to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited, abused, and sex trafficked.”
In both cases, the agents reportedly told staff they were not with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Carvalho said the distinction does not matter since the agencies collaborate on enforcement, and that he believes the visits were related to federal immigration enforcement actions, according to LA School Report.
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This appears to be the first time federal agents have attempted to enter a school. Earlier this year, leaders at Hamline Elementary School in Chicago denied entry to U.S. Secret Service agents pursuing an investigation because they feared they were ICE agents. The two agents who showed up at the school presented identification from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both the Secret Service and ICE.
A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press (AP) and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research determined most Americans oppose ICE raids in schools, hospitals, and churches. While 43% of surveyed adults favor deporting all undocumented immigrants, 64% strongly oppose arresting undocumented immigrants in schools.
