Chelsea Public Schools added teachers and staff at pick-up and drop-off this week after reports of immigration agents near schools, Superintendent Almi Abeyta said in a letter to parents, according to CBS Boston. Abeyta told NBC10 Boston that her staff had first-hand knowledge of agents near some public schools on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Related: Boston City Council Backs Haitian TPS Shelter Resolution.
What the district said
“We do this as an added measure to help ensure students and families feel safe at the end of the school day,” Abeyta wrote in the letter, CBS Boston reported.
The district said it remained “deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students, families, and staff,” in a statement to WBZ-TV. A handful of students were absent Thursday after the notice went out, Abeyta told NBC10 Boston.
The district said it follows guidance from the Massachusetts attorney general’s office and the Protect Act, CBS Boston reported. The law prohibits immigration arrests without a judicial warrant or court order at public schools and other protected areas, according to CBS Boston.
What ICE said
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told NBC10 Boston that it does not disclose details about its enforcement operations. The agency denied targeting schools and characterized claims suggesting otherwise as a false narrative, NBC10 Boston reported. The reports did not establish whether agents were operating at the specific school locations cited by the district.
What advocates said
La Colaborativa, a Chelsea immigrant advocacy organization, said its staff had seen an increase in ICE presence since the Nov. 3 midterm elections, CBS Boston reported. Executive Director Gladys Vega told NBC10 Boston that the group planned to walk students out of the high school.
La Colaborativa also plans to deliver food to homes and walk young people to school, youth program director Norieliz DeJesus told WBZ-TV. Vega recorded video of immigration agents questioning a man in Chelsea on Thursday, and the agents eventually let him leave, NBC10 Boston reported.
For more local coverage, see Boston school news and the Boston News hub.
Sources
- CBS Boston: Massachusetts school district warns parents of increased ICE presence
- NBC10 Boston: Apparent ICE activity in Chelsea prompts advisory to school families
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