“The vehicle was from the Seattle Police Department as part of a commitment to prevent crime and protect students near schools where violence has become a concern.”
Officials at a Seattle Public School are apologizing for falsely claiming that a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle was spotted near the campus and causing a panic among students and parents. The truck was revealed to be a police cruiser that was requested to be onsite due to rampant crime.
According to a letter, faculty at the Denny International Middle School in West Seattle pulled students inside from lunch on Wednesday after being told that someone had spotted an ICE truck in the parking lot of the Southwest Athletic Center while 8th grade students were outdoors during lunch without verifying the claim, in order to follow “district procedures regarding immigration.”
The letter continued, “The recent announcement regarding the removal of protected areas from immigration enforcement and the possibility of ICE entering schools to deport students is deeply troubling to our district and community.” The school is also across the street from Chief Sealth International High School, another Seattle public School.
Hours after SPS sent the letter to parents, Seattle police released a statement that the report was false and that the vehicle was a police cruiser. SPD said in a statement, "A school administrator emailed parents and community members stating an ICE vehicle had been seen near the school. This was false. The vehicle was from the Seattle Police Department as part of a commitment to prevent crime and protect students near schools where violence has become a concern. It is not our goal to alarm anyone with our presence as this is an effort to intervene in any issues before they escalate."
The department then doubled down on its commitment to “not enforce civil federal immigration laws,” reminding the public that officers do not “ask about an individual’s immigration status unless directly connected to a criminal investigation.”
Seattle Public Schools staff are also prohibited from participating in or aiding immigration enforcement against students, their families, staff, and volunteers.
Principal Mary Ingraham then apologized to the parents and students, writing, "Given the sensitive time we are in, I sincerely apologize for the distress and confusion caused by sharing incorrect information. These patrols are at the request of SPS, and SPD has made a commitment to the district to conduct additional patrols around some of our campuses before and after school and during lunch periods. These patrols are not to monitor students, but to provide extra visibility into the surrounding neighborhoods."
She added in a follow-up letter to parents, "The police are using all available resources – including unmarked vehicles with government plates – for these directed patrols. The district was not aware SPD was using unmarked patrol units until this incident."
Seattle Public Schools also sent a district-wide apology, writing, in an email obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, "Given the sensitive time we are in, we sincerely apologize for the distress and confusion caused by the sharing of incorrect information."
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