President Donald Trump is following through on a campaign promise to begin a mass deportation of illegal immigrants, and it seems that his heavy-handed approach is being implemented nationwide.
The fear and uncertainty has reached Virginia, with social media users flooding feeds reporting the presence of La Migra, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the ground in the Commonwealth.
People in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Staunton and Lynchburg, to name a few, are warning immigrants to take backroads and not to open their doors for anyone after raids appear to be occurring throughout the nation.
Schools and churches, once considered sacred, are no longer safe havens under Trump.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” read a statement from Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman.
Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew S. Haas acknowledged the change in policy in a statement released today but said ACPS would remain “a safe and welcoming place for all.”
ICE agents allegedly attempted to enter a Chicago elementary school on Friday morning. The chief education officer said the ICE agents were not allowed in the school or permitted to talk to students or staff members.
ACPS staff has been instructed not to share student records with any government agency unless presented with a valid warrant or judicial subpoena. Education records are protected by the Family Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, according to the statement from Haas.
“I want to assure our students and their families that our schools are—and will remain—a safe and welcoming place for all,” said Haas. “Albemarle County Public Schools does not, and may not, and will not ask students or families about their immigration status.
“We understand the concern about immigration officials potentially appearing at our schools. Recently, I was asked about the role of our school resource officers. Let me be clear: students or their family members will not be questioned, detained or taken into custody on ACPS premises except when a law enforcement officer presents a valid warrant for an arrest on criminal charges,” he said.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that public schools and associated spaces remain safe and secure for students and families.
“We encourage any family concerned about immigration enforcement at or near schools or school bus stops to contact us or trusted community partners,” Haas said. “We aim to provide support, information and resources to ensure all students can safely travel to and from school and attend school in peace.
“While none of us can predict the future, we remain committed to our core values of equity, excellence, community and well-being,” he said.
The Trump administration isn’t just cracking down on illegal immigrants – legal migrants and asylum seekers who used the CBP One app to enter the U.S. legally may also be subject to deportation without due process.
“The Biden-Harris administration abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country,” the statement from Huffman read.
The CBP One app was shut down minutes after Trump’s inauguration.
Effective immediately, the Trump Administration announced that it also has expanded fast-track deportation authority nationwide allowing immigration officers to deport people without appearing before a judge.
Karoline Leavitt, press secretary for the Trump Administration, said that deportation flights have already begun, in a statement on X.
“President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences,” her post read.
Her post was accompanied by two photographs that appeared to show migrants being loaded onto military cargo planes.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised his administration would be aggressive on immigrants asserting that millions of people from jails, prisons and mental institutions were being dumped in the United States.
“We’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world.,” Trump said at a campaign rally.
“Every time I come up and talk about what they’ve done to our country [Biden-Harris] I get angry and angrier. First time I’ve ever said garbage can. But you know what? It’s a very accurate description.”
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Crystal Graham
