Immigration arrests cause panic in California schools
Immigration arrests at homes in Berkeley and Oakland sent a wave of panic among parents in both cities, as authorities mistakenly believed immigration agents were raiding schools. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were in both cities, performing routine fugitive operations, spokeswoman Virginia Kice said. Teams go out virtually every day looking for specific “immigration fugitives,” she said. Officers arrested four family members at a Berkeley home and a woman at an Oakland residence. Officers were not at schools, yet within the next few hours, rumors of raids circulated throughout the communities. In Berkeley, school district Superintendent Bill Huyet sent out an automated phone message to all parents notifying them that a Latino family had been picked up and assuring them that the district would “not allow any child to be taken away from the school.” In Oakland, Mayor Ron Dellums and three school board members converged at the end of the school day on Stonehurst Elementary School along with immigration rights advocates, saying they believed ICE agents “would return.” “In my view, that is the ugly side of government,” Dellums said. “No way children should ever be treated to that kind of harassment and fear.” He said police officers will be posted at the campus the next day to ensure that federal immigration officials don't come onto school grounds. He added that federal officials have assured him they will not be at schools. Initially, Oakland district officials said federal agents were at Stonehurst and were denied entry by school staff. By late afternoon, they rescinded that, saying that an ICE vehicle was seen nearby. Berkeley officials also said no agents were at local schools. Immigration advocates said they believed ICE vans were circling schools and intimidating the community, noting that ICE officers accompanied a mother onto an Oakland school campus in December before questioning her in a workplace investigation. Kice said Tuesday's rumors took on a life of their own. In most cases, ICE fugitive operations take place at residences or sometimes at places of employment, she said. “A school is not a place we would routinely conduct an enforcement operation for a variety of reasons,” Kice said. The fear across the communities, however, was real. “People are terrified,” said Berkeley Unified spokesman Mark Coplan. “There is a lot of speculation.”
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 5/7/08, By Jill Tucker and Jaxon Van Derbeken
[Editor’s Note: The Associated Press reports in the San Jose Mercury News article below that Ms. Kice was insistent that the rumors were unfounded. “There's no truth to it,” she told the newspaper. “We are very mindful of the sensitivity of conducting enforcement actions near schools.” That report also clarified that the phone message sent by Berkeley’s superintendent was to reassure parents that ICE agent would not be allowed on school grounds or allowed to detain children. “The message was pretty clear,” said Mark Copelan, spokesman for the Berkeley Unified School District. But it may have been misinterpreted, he said, because parents soon started to call schools. NPR also reported on the incidents. Past reports of how other school districts have sought to balance cooperation with federal officials, protection of student privacy, and the safety of students during enforcement operations are at the third link.]
San Jose Mercury News, 5/6/08, By Juliana Barbassa (Associated Press)
National Public Radio, 5/12/08, By Richard Gonzales
NSBA School Law pages on school immigration enforcement policies