Parents received a letter from a Texas school district last month warning them about Border Patrol agents possibly boarding school buses to check children’s ID’s and possibly detaining or deporting them.
The letter was sent out and posted online
The letter sent to parents warned them that U.S. Border Patrol agents might start boarding extracurricular activity buses at highway checkpoints to check for proof of legal citizenship with their children.
The letter was also posted on Facebook but was later deleted.
Alice Independent School District sent it out
Alice Independent School District Superintendent Anysia Trevino wrote in the letter, “We want to bring to your attention an important matter regarding student travel for extracurricular activities, including sports, band, and other co-curricular events.”
“We have received information that U.S. Border Patrol agents may be boarding school buses at highway checkpoints in and out of the Valley to question students about their citizenship status.”
Students could be removed and detained
The letter continued, “We strongly encourage families to be aware of the potential implications of these encounters. If a student is found to be without proper documentation, they may be removed from the bus, detained, and possibly deported under current immigration policies.”
Children would also be in trouble if they lie
The letter also states consequences for failure to produce identification or if children were to lie about their immigration status: that it could possibly hinder them from getting the U.S. citizenship in the future.
“Additionally, if a student provides false information regarding their citizenship, and it is later discovered, this could result in a permanent bar to future U.S. citizenship,” the letter read.
The school district is looking for solutions
The district superintendent added in the letter that she’s looking into adding measures that would decrease the impact of these encounters on the children, suggesting that a chaperone would stay with any student should they be removed by authorities.
The letter continued, “To ensure that families are fully informed, we are reviewing our student travel waivers and may include language advising parents of this possibility.”
“Furthermore, we are considering additional measures, such as having a designated chaperone vehicle travel with school buses. In the event that a student is detained, a school administrator in the chaperone vehicle would be able to stay with the student while the rest of the group continues their journey.”
Another school district addressed this issue
Alice Independent School District isn’t the first to send out an informant letter like this. West Oso ISD also recently sent one out on the same risks to their students.
“I want to take a moment to address recent changes to immigration policies and how they may impact our District. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security reversed a policy that had previously limited Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests at sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship,” the letter from West Oso ISD read.
The school confirmed it welcomes all students
The school district went on to confirm it welcomes all students into its facilities regardless of their legal status.
The letter read, “WOISD does not ask for, collect, or maintain any information regarding immigration status, as it is not relevant to our mission of serving students.”
They ensured parents that they would be notified
“Like any other law enforcement agency, ICE must check in, show identification, and present proper documentation before taking any action on our campuses. Should ICE execute a warrant at one of our schools, we will promptly notify parents,” the letter read.
New directives by the DHS allow this
As per Fox News, a DHS spokesperson released a statement in January about two new directives issued by the Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman. They rescind guidelines put forward for ICE and CBP by the Biden Admisnistartion that say enforcement actions are not to be undertaken near ‘sensitive areas’.
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Those areas include schools, medical facilities, and places of worship. Moreover, ICE is also now allowed to enter events like weddings, funerals, and public demonstrations to detain undocumented individuals.
Trump has taken several initiatives for the U.S. borders’
This isn’t the only change in enforcement taken by the Trump administration, U.S. President Donald Trump has also enforced backbreaking tariffs on Canada and Mexico that hinder trade with those countries.
Most recently, Trump has also vowed to deport 240,000 Ukrainians by next month (April 2025), revoking their citizenship statuses.
