The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday opposed allegations that US Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were taking children out of schools.
With a “100 Days of Fighting News” news release from DHS, the agency responded to many stories reported by various media since President Donald Trump took office. One of them is that ICE agents are enrolled in elementary schools to enforce immigration control.
“Ice’s Homeland Security Survey (HSI) works relentlessly to protect Americans, especially children, who are at risk by illegal foreign activities,” DHS said. “This includes investigating potential child sex trafficking.”
Tackling the incidents in three primary schools in particular, DHS explained that ICE agents were on campus for reasons not related to “enforcement action.”
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The Department of Homeland Security said ICE and HSI agents seen in elementary schools were not there to carry out immigration enforcement, but were there to investigate the well-being of some children. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency)
A local Washington, DC news agency reported that HSI agents were seen on the HD Cooke Elementary School campus at the end of March, prompting concerns about their existence.
Although DHS did not share what the agents were doing, the agency said, “ICE did not implement enforcement actions at schools. The HSI agents attended schools that were not related to any kind of enforcement actions.”
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Also, HSI agents reported in early April at Russell Elementary School and Lillian Elementary School in Los Angeles.
Agents were “conducting wellness checks on unaccompanied children at the border,” and the visit “has nothing to do with immigration enforcement,” DHS said.
Homeland Security said it was a “primary effort to conduct welfare checks” to ensure that children who are not accompanied are “safe, abused, abused, and sex trafficking.”
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“Unlike previous administrations, President Trump and Secretary Noam will take the responsibility to seriously protect children and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to reunite children with their families,” DHS said.
Homeland Security said it is “a major effort to conduct welfare checks for children arriving at unaccompanied borders to ensure they are safe, abused, abused, and sex trafficking.” (Texas DPS)
Nearly 5,000 unaccompanied children have been reunited with relatives or safe parents in the past 70 days, according to the agency, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Director of Gnomes and Health and Human Services.
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