CHICAGO — The U.S. Secret Service said its agents visited a Chicago elementary school Friday while investigating a threat, hours after school officials mistakenly claimed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had come to the building.
In a statement Friday evening, Chicago Public Schools leaders said that after their initial comments went out about ICE agents, they learned the agents were from the Secret Service. The false alarm heightened fears among immigrant communities in the country’s third-largest city.
“Our original communication was a result of a misunderstanding, reflective of the fear and concerns in the community amid the new administration’s focus on undocumented immigrants,” the statement said.
The Trump administration touted deportation efforts this week and published new rules making it easier to remove people as part of a flurry of actions to crack down on illegal immigration.
The statement from Chicago Public Schools said two people showed up at the door of Hamline Elementary School and presented identification including the name Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that oversees ICE. School officials responded to the agents with the understanding that they were from ICE, amid rumors and reports that the agency was in the community, school district officials said.
The agents were from the Secret Service Chicago Field Office and visited the school while investigating a threat made against a government official they protect, according to statement sent by Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. He said agents first visited a home in a local neighborhood and then went to the school.
“Agents identified themselves to the school principal and provided business cards with their contact information,” the statement said.
He said the agents left without incident.
“We do not investigate nor enforce immigration laws,” the statement said.
ICE officials said in a statement that no immigration enforcement actions took place Friday at or near a school in Chicago.
Chicago Public Schools officials said the agents were not allowed into the school or to speak with staff or students.
“While this was a misunderstanding in terms of the specific branch of DHS, the school’s response demonstrates that our system, in partnership with community organizations, is prepared and ready to keep our students and staff safe,” the statement said.