SPOKANE, Wash. – US Border Patrol argued that agents should be allowed in educational buildings following a Wednesday Spokane School Board decision barring them from all public schools in the district.
According to the Spokesman Review, the unanimous decision reaffirmed pre-existing policy disallowing border patrol from school buildings.
The Spokane headquarters of US Border Patrol stood against the decision in a statement released on Thursday in which the agency argued that the presence of law enforcement in classrooms enhances safety.
“When agents and officers attend events at schools they are merely there for educational purposes, at the invitation of the school, and not to conduct immigration enforcement activities,” Border Patrol said.
Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol are not allowed to conduct enforcement actions at schools or bus stops per Department of Homeland Security regulations.
However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU) expressed concern in 2019 about a Border Patrol reading program at Holmes Elementary, and the national ACLU maintains recommendations for educators who see ICE or Border Patrol agents on school property.
Border Patrol mentioned that the children of several agents attend Spokane Public Schools, and argued that barring agents from public educational contexts constitutes an act of intolerance.
“The fact the school district has taken this position of intolerance against a law enforcement agency is disheartening and makes the community less safe,” Border Patrol said.
The national ACLU argues that federal accountability practices for US Border Patrol fail to protect the constitutional rights of citizens and non-citizens.
The Spokane School Board decision followed the circulation of a 780-signature petition in support of banning the agency from public schools.
