Texas school officials have reassured parents that school buses have not and should not be targeted by immigration enforcement actions after a district’s letter to families raised concerns.
On Feb. 5, Alice Independent School District in Texas posted a letter on its Facebook page warning parents that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers may stop school buses to conduct immigration checks on students traveling for extracurricular activities. This caused significant concerns among parents. According to local news reports, the letter has since been deleted from the district’s Facebook page.
However, the district’s Superintendent Anysia Trevino released a second statement on Feb. 6, specifying that their previous letter was a proactive move made for student safety and not reactive to any Border Patrol incidents, as there had been none at this report.
“It is our understanding that key members of the U.S. Border Patrol have indicated that school buses and children will not be targeted,” said Trevino.
Meanwhile, Denver Public Schools in Colorado filed the nation’s first lawsuit on Wednesday against the Trump administration, specifically the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem, for the new policy of allowing immigration raids at schools, churches and other “sensitive” locations.
According to an Education Week report on Thursday, DPS officials said they have had to devote a lot of time and resources to adding policies that keep students safe and training faculty and staff on how to respond to claims of immigration enforcement occurring at schools.
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