Amid community fears of potential raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Guadalupe Gutierrez sensed more chaos when her cousin came home from Dixmoor’s Rosa Parks Middle School crying.
“He told me, ‘I’m scared to go out,’” Gutierrez said Tuesday.
Gutierrez said her cousin and other students told her their teacher came into class holding up a newspaper with a story about potential mass deportations under President Donald Trump and saying, ‘I can’t wait for this to happen.’”
“The students, they go to school to learn,” Gutierrez said. “They don’t go to school to be scared and wonder if they’re going to get dragged out by ICE officers.”
The teacher said Thursday that “these are all false allegations,” declining to elaborate further.
Chicago streets have quieted following targeted operations by ICE agents that began Sunday, part of a nationwide effort federal officials say led to 1,000 arrests. But some south and southwest suburban cities, villages and school districts with large Hispanic populations are also bracing for potential arrests in their communities.
After the Trump administration announced it would allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals, ending a policy that had been in effect since 2011 barring ICE agents from “sensitive locations,” some parents are questioning whether to send their children to school and are looking to school officials for guidance.
Gutierrez said West Harvey Dixmoor Elementary District 147 officials dismissed or ignored complaints about the teacher’s rhetoric but sent parents a statement Thursday “addressing concerns … regarding immigration enforcement and the safety of our students and families.”
The statement, signed by District 147 interim Superintendents Creg Williams and Jerry Jordan, was the same as one sent Superintendent Reginald Lawrence in Harvey Elementary District 152, which includes four elementary schools as well as Brooks Middle School.
The districts ensured all children have the right to attend school and state the district is committed to “providing a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for all students and families, regardless of actual or perceived immigration status.”
“We understand that recent news and events may have caused fear and uncertainty, but please know that your child’s education, safety and well-being are our top priorities,” the statement said.
District 147 did not respond to the Daily Southtown’s requests for comment regarding the teacher’s classroom comment.
Gutierrez posted on Facebook for parents and community members to voice concerns about the comment at the next District 147 Board meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday at the district office, 191 W. 155th Place, Harvey.
“Schools must serve as safe havens for children — a place where they feel secure, supported and empowered to grow into the best version of themselves,” she wrote. “Comments like this create unnecessary fear and add significant stress to students, especially those who may already feel vulnerable due to current events.”
Blue Island officials issued a statement Jan. 21 announcing the city’s police force would not take part in federal immigration enforcement activities.
“The City of Blue Island’s greatest strength is its diversity,” the statement read. “We value and will work to protect every family and child in our community.”
The Blue Island Police Department operates with limited resources, according to the statement, and its focus will “remain on community safety.”
“We will continue to uphold the state laws that protect all of the families who live, work and contribute to the thriving fabric of Illinois,” the statement reads.
Last month, President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, designated Chicago as ground zero for his plans to round up immigrants staying in the country illegally at an unprecedented scale.
In the last week, rumors have circulated on social media platforms in the suburbs as ICE began targeted arrests in the Chicago area, with commenters claiming sightings.
While there have not been any known arrests in the south suburbs, agents appear to be moving into suburban areas after officials removed a man from a home in northwest suburban Elgin Tuesday. Elgin officials told the Tribune that the city’s Police Department would not be involved in any federal immigration enforcement activities.
Regardless of immigration status, Blue Island officials recommended residents create an emergency plan in case federal agents show up on their doorstep.
City officials shared a packet that offers guidance on how to formulate a plan, recommending that families organize emergency contacts and memorize them, create a list of people to help with their case, important documents and, if needed, plan for short-term guardianship for children if parents are taken into custody.
They also recommend keeping a file of important documents that children, family members and an emergency caregiver can locate.
