A group of Senate Democrats sent a letter Friday to Education Secretary Linda McMahon demanding the Trump administration make efforts to ensure Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers don’t conduct operations close to schools.
The letter, led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and signed by seven colleagues, says ICE has increased its presence around Chicago Public Schools and other educational institutions, which “disrupt[s] learning and school operations.”
The letter describes an incident of ICE throwing canisters of tear gas 700 feet away from an elementary school during lunch and recess time. Another incident cited in the letter involved two women getting dragged out of their car by ICE in front of a Chicago school building with students around.
“Why was the tear gas deployed? Because of violent rioters,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC News. “This is not that hard.”
For the second incident, McLaughlin previously said the women “were driving recklessly, including weaving between lanes and putting other motorists at risk. Following the driver abruptly stopping in the middle of traffic near a school, law enforcement approached the vehicle. The occupants refused to exit the vehicle and follow law enforcement commands.”
The Democrats in their letter Friday are demanding ICE operations be at least 1,000 feet away from school property.
“Federal agents continue to use unwarranted, excessive levels of force around Chicago, demonstrating an alarming lack of care or regard for the health and wellbeing of children, particularly by conducting unfocused, inflammatory operations within close proximity of school grounds,” the letter states.
The Hill has reached out to the Education Department for comment.
The Democrats called on McMahon to “pressure” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees ICE, to restore restrictions around conducting enforcement operations near schools.
At the beginning of the Trump administration, restrictions were lifted on ICE operations inside schools or places of worship, although no known incident has occurred of ICE entering classrooms.
“Considering DHS’ failure to protect American students, we demand you pressure your colleague, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, to reinstate restrictions on Federal immigration enforcement operations in and around places of education,” the Democrats wrote.
