TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Schools across America, including Florida, are bracing for the possibility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showing up on campus.
They are looking for all individuals who are in the country without proper documentation.
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In a statement this week, an anonymous Department of Homeland Security spokesperson wrote:
“This action will empower the brave men and women of CBP and ICE to enforce immigration laws and capture criminal aliens, including murderers and rapists, who came to our country illegally. You cannot hide in schools or churches. Avoid arrest.
This is a reference to the department eliminating Biden-era rules that limit where immigration officials can make arrests.
Victor DiMaio is president of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party’s Hispanic Caucus. He doesn’t think this effort is working well to find or arrest people who are here illegally. He also said this may primarily affect migrant workers.
“They’re going to overreach,” DiMaio said. “They’re going to turn people against the initiative and they’re going to spend billions and billions of dollars hiring these people to do all the things they talk about doing. ”
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Evan Power is the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. He has a message for those worried about attending school.
“They should take it up with their parents who came here illegally and they don’t have the proper documentation,” Power said. “They came to this country and committed a crime. We must use every tool at our disposal to make our country safe and secure.”
So far, the Pinellas County Schools legal team is considering a national directive from the Department of Homeland Security. Sarasota school officials said there are no updates at this time. Polk County Schools is awaiting official guidance, but a spokesperson said they intend to follow federal and state laws.
In the Orlando area, the Orange County Public School District recently sent out a memo reminding school staff that they must comply with law enforcement who wish to interview or arrest students. The reminder also said that if officers do not wish to notify parents, school leaders must comply or risk facing charges of obstructing an ongoing investigation. However, the district said it cannot access student records without a subpoena, but it does not maintain citizenship information.
Sidney Booker, communications director for the Florida Department of Education, sent the following statement:
“Florida Schools will cooperate with all law enforcement agencies to enforce the nation’s laws regarding illegal immigration and keep our schools safe.”
