Chicago Officials Clarify Misunderstanding: ICE Did Not Raid School as Initially Claimed

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago school officials incorrectly stated last week that ICE agents had shown up at an elementary school. This happened amidst the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce immigration laws against violent illegal immigrants in Chicago, a sanctuary city.

Clarifying the situation, ICE reported that their agents did not visit Hamline Elementary School in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. Instead, the U.S. Secret Service clarified that it was their agents investigating a threat against a government official. Chicago Public Schools acknowledged their error, attributing it to a misunderstanding. They also affirmed that the school district would not collaborate with federal immigration authorities.

Speaking to the press on Friday in front of local news cameras, Bogdana Chkoumbova, Chief Education Officer of Chicago Public Schools, mentioned that ICE agents had “shown up” at Hamline in the morning but stated that the school staff followed CPS protocols.

“They kept ICE agents outside of the school and contacted CPS’s Law Department and CPS’s Office of Safety and Security for further guidance,” Chkoumbova said. “The ICE agents were not allowed into the school and were not permitted to speak to any students or staff members. Here is the bottom line: Our students and staff are safe…. We will not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.” 

ICE said it was not involved in the encounter. In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the U.S. Secret Service, revealed that special agents from the Chicago field office on Friday had been “investigating a threat made against a government official we protect.”  

“In the course of their investigation, agents first visited a residence in a local neighborhood and then made a visit to Hamline Elementary School,” Guglielmi said. “Agents identified themselves to the school principal and provided business cards with their contact information. The agents left without incident. The Secret Service investigates all threats made against those we protect. We do not investigate nor enforce immigration laws.”   

ICE agent waits in a vehicle during an operation in Chicago on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Chicago Public Schools officials walked back their earlier claims on Saturday. 

In a message addressed to families, Martinez and Chkoumbova said, “Agents presented school staff with credentials from the Department of Homeland Security, the federal department that oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).” 

“We later learned that these officials were not from ICE, but rather from the U.S. Secret Service – a different federal law enforcement agency also overseen by the Department of Homeland Security,” the statement said. “While this incident was due to a misunderstanding, it reflects the fear and anxiety that is present in our city right now, and it reflects the degree of caution that we are taking given recent federal policy changes.” 

The school officials also decried DHS’s decision last week to rescind a directive that had prevented ICE from carrying out immigration enforcement at sensitive locations such as churches, schools and doctor’s offices. 

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, who has been overseeing ICE raids in Chicago and across the country as part of the president’s mass deportation strategy, defended the reversal during an appearance on ABC News on Sunday. Homan said many MS-13 gang members are often around age 14 and well-trained ICE agents should have the discretion to weed out public safety and national security threats.

“Earlier this week, the new presidential administration rescinded a longtime policy that protected sensitive locations like schools from being targeted by ICE for immigration enforcement. As a result, our school administrators have been on high alert to protect their school communities,” Martinez and Chkoumbova said Saturday. “Despite yesterday’s misunderstanding, the school’s response demonstrates that our school system, in partnership with community organizations and our labor partners, is prepared and ready to keep our students and staff safe.”