Hearing debates impact of immigration enforcement after ICE arrest at elementary school

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore City leaders and school officials held a hearing Thursday to discuss what they say is the impact of increased federal immigration enforcement on students and families.

It comes just over a month after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted an arrest outside of a Baltimore elementary and middle school.

School leaders told council members that students are experiencing increased anxiety.

“This past year many of our scholars carried more than just backpacks. They carried fear and uncertainty,” said Coral Beth Garcia, principal of Lakeland Elementary/Middle School.

Although the hearing addressed immigration enforcement more broadly, Baltimore City Public Schools officials reiterated their position that ICE does not belong on school grounds.

“City Schools does not believe that schools should be places that law enforcement of any sort should be happening on school grounds because it’s so important that families should be able to bring their children to school, confident that they will be welcomed into a safe and supportive environment,” a City Schools official said.

Several council members also heavily criticized the federal government’s immigration enforcement efforts in general.

“Families across Baltimore are living with significant and mounting fear and uncertainty due to lawless and violent federal immigration enforcement,” said Councilman Mark Parker.

“All of our families are seeing these tragedies happen every single day and we have to take a stand,” Councilwoman Odette Ramos said.

However, weighing in on the hearing, Rhetoric Professor Richard Vatz argues much of the public reaction has been driven by emotion rather than evidence.

“ICE does not target schools, they target felons who go to schools, and so that’s the issue,” said Vatz, “The presumption should be until you have evidence that they are acting illegally or acting irresponsibly, you should not rush some microphones.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the man arrested outside the school “violently resisted arrest,” allegedly dragging an ICE officer with his vehicle before fleeing onto school grounds. DHS also said the same individual previously fled from agents in April, causing “a collision with an ICE vehicle before fleeing the scene.” He now faces federal charges of resisting arrest and destruction of government property.

In a statement following the incident, DHS said, “ICE does not target schools, but we will not allow criminals to hide in our nation’s schools and put the safety of children at risk.”

“If my children were in school,” Vatz said, “My concern would not be that he’s being pursued. My concern would be that he’s seeking refuge in that school.”

Meanwhile, school leaders told council members that multilingual student enrollment has declined slightly over the past year, but student withdrawals have remained steady and chronic absenteeism has improved.