Back in 2015, Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign on an anti-immigration note, which became one of his only plans that hasn’t seen a backtrack. Trump declared that Mexico was sending rapists and drug dealers to the U.S., which left him no choice but to target all the “bad hombres” for deportation. Many people would agree, however, that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent went too far while attempting to enter a New York City elementary school in pursuit of a fourth grader.
The incident took place at Queens’ PS58 (also called School of Heroes) on Thursday and was first revealed on Twitter by Eric Phillips (a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio), who also said that school officials blocked the warrentless ICE agent from entering the building.
Mayor's been briefed on a fed immig agent showing up at Queens' PS58 Thurs. asking about a 4th grader. School turned him away. A 4th grader.
— Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) May 13, 2017
Following the event, NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina issued a statement to Gothamist in order to reassure parents as much as possible:
“All students, regardless of immigration status, are welcome in NYC public schools, and parents should rest assured that we will do everything on our power to protect students, staff and families. The federal agent was turned away — we’re looking into this incident and are providing schools with additional information on our protocol and more trainings.”
This is only the latest example of the Trump administration clashing with New York City. Most recently, Mayor de Blasio demanded an apology on behalf of the NYPD when Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the city is “soft on crime.” De Blasio has also warned that Trump’s policies cause undocumented immigrants not to report crime, which will only make NYC less safe. And while the city spends millions of dollars to protect Trump Tower and the Trump family, the Justice Department has threatened to strip counterterror funds from the city because it refuses to drop its sanctuary status.
Now, the DOJ is going after fourth graders. Per the Department of Education’s website, the ICE agent would have been successful at entering the school with a warrant or if school officials would have consented.
(Via Eric Phillips, Gothamist & DOE)