A vehicle marked with the emblem of the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more commonly known as ICE, was spotted outside of the King St. campus of Alexandria City High School Tuesday afternoon at around 3:35 p.m.
No federal agents “were inside the building,” an administrator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, confirmed to Theogony.
It remained unclear Tuesday evening if agents engaged directly with students or just drove past the building. In a written statement, Alexandria City Public Schools said Wednesday it was “not aware of any DHS vehicles being near or parked by the ACHS King St. Campus.”
DHS did not immediately respond to Theogony inquiries surrounding Tuesday’s events.
A separate administrator told Theogony that, in the wake of the Trump administration’s self-declared “war” on immigration, ACPS district leadership instructed school administrators not to immediately allow federal agents to enter school buildings and to call the school district’s legal team if federal agents attempt to enter or present a warrant.
It is up to the school district’s legal team to decide whether or not ACPS is legally required to allow agents into the building, the administrator said.
“ACPS is obligated to comply with all lawful orders and warrants from any law enforcement entity, including ICE,” the school district said in a written statement. “ACPS does not authorize law enforcement interviews with students prior to parental notification unless there is an exigent circumstance. Under School Board Policy KNAJ, the principal or principal’s designee is supposed to be present during these interviews.”
ICE can, however, operate within the city of Alexandria on public sidewalks, including near schools. It is possible that agents could detain students as they enter and exit the building, even if the agents never actually enter the school.
Alexandria is a “welcoming community,” according to a city webpage, meaning it does not cooperate with ICE in most circumstances, although it is required to comply with federal law. Alexandria Police officers “will not arrest individuals based solely on administrative warrants or civil detainers for immigration status issues,” according to the webpage.
In addition, city agencies and programs “will neither make inquiries about nor report on the citizenship of those who seek the protection of its laws or the use of its services,” the webpage said.
The full statement from ACPS is as follows:
ACPS is not aware of any Department of Homeland Security (DHS) vehicles being near or parked by the Alexandria City High School (ACHS) King St. Campus. ACPS is obligated to comply with all lawful orders and warrants from any law enforcement entity, including ICE. ACPS does not authorize law enforcement interviews with students prior to parental notification unless there is an exigent circumstance. Under School Board Policy KNAJ, the principal or principal’s designee is supposed to be present during these interviews.
Education records of ACPS students are generally protected from disclosure without parental consent under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Education records may be disclosed pursuant to a court order or subpoena, but in those cases, ACPS is obligated to notify the families of these requests for records prior to disclosure unless the order or warrant directs ACPS not to do so. There are certain exceptions to FERPA’s general prohibition on disclosure without parental consent or notification, such as in the case of a health or safety emergency, but ACPS will work to notify families of any such disclosure after the fact in those circumstances if possible.
This is a developing story. It was updated Wednesday at 1 p.m. to include a statement from ACPS.
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