Chicago Public Schools prevented officers from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement from going into an elementary school on Chicago’s Southwest Side Friday and talking to students, according to school officials.
ICE showed up at 11:15 a.m. to Hamline Elementary School, located at 1548 W. 48th St. in the New City neighborhood, principal Natasha Ortega said at a news conference. She said the school’s employees “followed the protocols that we’ve been trained and practiced and have discussed,” ensuring students’ safety.
“We will not open our doors for ICE, and we are here to protect our children and make sure they have access to an excellent education,” Ortega said. “We stand in solidarity with our families and the Back of the Yards community.”
This immigration action appears to be the first at a Chicago school after President Donald Trump took office. Officials within Trump’s administration have indicated that large-scale raids to detain undocumented immigrants would begin this week in Chicago.
Trump reversed a policy this week that for more than a decade has prevented ICE from carrying out immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations,” such as healthcare facilities, daycares, churches, and schools. His executive orders have also sought to end birthright citizenship and deploy troops to enhance border security.
Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker has said he’s heard that ICE will target as many as 2,000 people in Chicago, but that he hasn’t received any communication from the Trump administration. Fears of mass deportations have worried some of the area’s roughly 400,000 undocumented immigrants, prompting many to skip work and keep their kids out of school.
Hamline Elementary has a student population that is around 92% Hispanic as of 2024, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Chicago Public Schools have said they remain committed to protecting the rights of all students to a public education, providing guidance to staff to not allow immigration officers on school property unless they provide credentials and a criminal warrant signed by a federal judge. Hospitals and medical centers throughout Chicago are taking similar measures.
“CPS does not ask for our families’ immigration status. We will not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (We do not) share student records with ICE except in the rare case where this is a court order or consent from a parent or a guardian,” chief education officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said at the Friday news conference.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, who represents the ward where the school is located, confirmed to the Tribune that ICE agents were denied entry but did not know further details.
A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment. The governor’s office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Chicago Police Department spokesperson said the department “was not aware of the incident” prior to the arrival of ICE personnel at the school. At no point Friday did CPD officers respond to any calls for service at Hamline, the spokesperson said.
Please check back for updates.
