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,” a senior-level 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. Both DHS and Alexandria City Public Schools did not immediately respond to Theogony inquiries surrounding Tuesday’s events.
A separate senior-level administrator previously told Theogony that, in the wake of the Trump administration’s self-declared “war” on immigration, ACPS district leadership instructed school administrators not to permit 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.
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.
This is a developing story.
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