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Leaders from Minneapolis Public Schools said on Friday morning that the district will offer families remote learning amid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city.
Officials and families with the district spoke at a news conference around 10 a.m. in Hiawatha Park. Many of them discussed the intimidation and fear they’ve felt since ICE agents have shown up at schools. Others talked about organizing rides for kids of immigrant families because parents are afraid to leave the house, and ICE’s presence at Roosevelt High School where they said a teacher was tackled by federal agents.
“We have seen ICE agents in Roseville circling school property just waiting for families to pick up their children,” said Monica Byron, President of Education Minnesota. “Every moment ICE remains near our schools endangers children, educators and families.”
In St. Paul Friday morning, members of Education Minnesota talked about how ICE activity near schools has incited anxiety and fear.
“Grown men use pepper spray on terrified high school students on school property,” said Catina Taylor, Minneapolis Federation of Educators.
Chris Erickson said the presence of ICE has been felt beyond the Twin Cities. He says it’s changed how St. Cloud teachers approach each day.
“The fear as they load their students onto the bus at the end of the day, not knowing whether that child will return to their family or to an empty house,” said Erickson, president of the St. Cloud Education Association.
Miles from St. Paul, Minneapolis parents and teachers gathered at Hiawatha Park with a similar message.
They chanted and held signs and demanded accountability for the shooting of Renee Good. Members of the Minneapolis teachers’ union also talked about ICE activity at Roosevelt High School on Wednesday, in which federal agents came onto school property while trying to make an arrest.
“While on school property they deployed chemical irritants and detained an educator and MFE member who was doing their job at dismissal,” said Natasha Dockter, Minneapolis Federation of Educators.
Clara, who has kids in Minneapolis Schools, said her daughter has observed federal agents outside her elementary classroom.
“Meanwhile many agents and vehicles were circling the perimeter of the school,” said Clara.
Minneapolis educators talked about organizing networks of care and protection to give students of immigrant families rides to school and delivering groceries to those too scared to leave their home.
“Let me be very clear. Immigration enforcement should never, under any circumstances, be on school grounds,” said Dockter.
A statement from DHS on that incident at Roosevelt High says officers used targeted crowd control for the safety of law enforcement and the public. They also said no tear gas was deployed, which contradicts a witness account.
