ICE arrest sparks outrage amid Acero Schools closure talks
Parents, politicians rally for Acero Schools, condemn ICE raids outside CPS headquarters
School closings and immigration raids were the focus of a Chicago Public Schools Board of Education meeting at this hour.
CHICAGO - Parents and teachers on Thursday were at Chicago Public Schools Board of Education headquarters, rallying for Acero Schools, a charter network.
Officials have been in talks to close seven of those schools and parents are worried their children's education will suffer at a time when they say their neighbors are under attack.
Last night, staff and families held a vigil in Gage Park.
The Chicago Teachers Union said that a parent was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents when he dropped his children off at school.
Acero sent out a letter to parents, confirming the incident, saying that immigration agents did not try to enter the school.
Chicago Teachers Union organizer Hilario Dominguez described how ICE agents took into custody a parent Wednesday morning.
"His children watched as their daddy was detained by agents carrying out the orders of a tyrant president," Dominguez said.
Post on X from ICE Chicago about the arrest.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) called on CPS to install a safe environment for students and their families.
"We have parents being grabbed from our schools. We gotta wonder, what is Chicago Public Schools doing to protect our children?" Sigcho-Lopez asked.
Speakers said the ICE arrest adds another layer of fear for children, parents and teachers fighting to save their community.
"I would like to see our school district figure out how to keep people safe, how to keep our schools open, welcoming and safe for our young people," CTU President Stacy Davis-Gates said.
Luis Del Gado attended Santiago Elementary school graduate and now attends Northside College Prep.
"I am angry that same day Acero announced that they were going to close down seven out of the 15 schools, I saw my mother, I saw teachers I look up to, and my younger brother cry because they thought they would not be able to see the school that brought me to be the person I am today," Del Gado said.
Parents have been actively campaigning to keep Acero Schools open since last year. They said the uncertainty adds to the trauma for their children.
The Source: The information in this report was gathered during a rally outside CPS Board of Education headquarters and previous FOX 32 reporting.