Councilmember Kristin Mink said she was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by ICE agents detaining two people in front of Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring during morning drop-off on Wednesday, September 10, calling the incident traumatizing for students, parents, and staff who witnessed it. She urged using every legal tool to protect the community, highlighted recent ICE response trainings for MCPS employees, and emphasized that Montgomery County must stand with immigrant neighbors against actions that instill fear.
I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the actions federal agents took in front of Eastern Middle School yesterday during morning drop-off. Just after 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10th, as students were arriving at school, masked ICE agents pulled a vehicle over out front and then chased down, tackled, and took away the two occupants in handcuffs as horrified children, caregivers, and school staff watched.One Eastern MS parent shared the following:
“I witnessed this event unfold with my 11 year old daughter sitting right beside me in our car as I waited to drop her at school. To say it was upsetting is an understatement. It was horrifying. Two heavily armed, masked men without any clear markings on their person or car chased on foot two unarmed, innocent (that’s still the standard in the USA, I assume) men who were clearly on their way to work through a crowd of students and parents…
“The two men were detained somewhere off school property but then the unidentified masked men walked the handcuffed men past all the kids walking to school on the sidewalk right beside the school. If the point of the mission was to scare immigrants and terrorize children, then their mission was accomplished.”
We cannot, must not, and will not normalize an event like this, which leaves marks on the souls of not only those having loved ones violently ripped from them, but on those who witness it. Especially children. Especially those who know their loved ones may be at risk of being kidnapped in such a manner.The so-called immigration enforcement carried out by this federal administration was never about keeping us safe. These systemic attacks on the bodies and souls of our community make residents of color afraid to go to work, to run errands, and now, to go to school.It is incumbent on each of us, each in the roles and capacities we have at our disposal, to use every legal tool available to protect our community. School and government leadership must work with staff to ensure deep knowledge of strong safety and community care protocols at every school and County facility. Community members can join community-led trainings to learn how to help protect themselves and their neighbors from ICE, build out community safety nets, and organize to be a comforting and protective presence during school arrivals and departures and events like Back To School Nights.Just last night, I hosted my third in an ongoing series of info sessions for MCPS employees with the partnership of MCEA, SEIU Local 500, and MCAAP, on protecting students and schools from ICE. Last night’s session was an ICE response training led by the Montgomery County Immigrant Rights Coalition (MoCo IRC) and Students For Asylum and Immigration Reform (Students F.A.I.R.). It was attended by hundreds of administrators, paraeducators, teachers, bus drivers, maintenance workers, and more. It’s clear to me that the people we entrust with our children’ s care each school day are deeply invested in meeting this moment with fortitude.
Together, we do have tools to slow ICE down and protect each other, and to make clear that in Montgomery County, we stand with our neighbors in both words and actions — against those who attempt to terrorize them.
