Democrats are fed up with ICE traumatizing kids at schools

At least half a dozen Democratic senators, led by Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are calling on the Department of Education to stop immigration raids near schools.

The letter, which was sent Friday to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and obtained by NBC News, follows a series of disruptions in class in the Chicago area linked to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Although ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, the senators are appealing directly to McMahon, asking him to pressure Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to curb what they call reckless and dangerous tactics.

“Federal agents continue to use unwarranted and excessive levels of force around Chicago, demonstrating an alarming lack of care or respect for the health and well-being of children, particularly by conducting hazy and incendiary operations in close proximity to school grounds,” the letter said. “We demand that you pressure your colleague, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, to reinstate restrictions on federal immigration enforcement operations in and around places of education.”

They also called for “common sense” limits on immigration enforcement near schools.

“If society can agree that alcohol, tobacco, and drugs should be kept at least 1,000 feet from our schools, surely we can agree that tear gas—a chemical weapon that causes burns, pain, skin inflammation, and respiratory distress—and other violent DHS tools and tactics also belong on that list,” they wrote.

Other Democratic signatories include Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

This plea comes a few months after President Donald Trump. scrapped a Biden-era policy that banned ICE raids in “sensitive” locations such as schools, hospitals and churches.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in American schools and churches to avoid arrest,” DHS said. statement at the time, saying the move would reestablish a “case-by-case” approach.

Since then, Chicago has become a hot spot in Trump’s immigration campaign. According to the Chicago Sun-TimesICE agents briefly arrested a 16-year-old U.S. citizen near his school. BNC Also detailed scenes where tear gas drifted onto playgrounds, sending children running indoors as teachers tried to calm frightened classes.

This fear is not difficult to understand. Some ICE agents wear civilian clothing and minimal identification, although they are expected to identify themselves during arrests. Others arrive with full military-style gear.

But these heavy-handed tactics are not limited to Illinois. In California, the DHS said that would not be consistent with a new state law prohibiting law enforcement from covering their faces during operations.

And on a national scale, the toll is growing. In the first nine months of Trump’s second term, ProPublica documented more than 170 incidents of ICE agents detaining U.S. citizens against their will, including nearly 20 children, two of whom were battling cancer. In one case, four children were detained for weeks with their undocumented mother and denied access to an attorney until a member of Congress intervened.

Related | Democrats want ICE to relax

When asked if DHS would reconsider its proximity to schools, spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin rejected the idea.

“Why was the tear gas deployed? Because of the violent rioters,” she said in an email to NBC. “It’s not that difficult.”

Meanwhile, educators try to protect students from consequences. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten recently traveled to Chicago to meet with union members about how to protect classrooms. chaos.

“The school should be an ice-free zone, just like it is a gun-free and drug-free zone,” Weingarten said.

In Chicago, immigration agents are already prohibited from entering city schools or conducting checks on city-owned property. But teachers found anxiety seeping into daily life anyway.

Democrats say this is the inevitable result of Trump’s policies. Its immigration program has become so cruel that even children are caught in the crossfire.