This week, some northern Illinois schools are responding to increasing immigration arrests in their communities.
West Chicago Elementary District 33 schools went under a “soft lockdown” as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested over a dozen people in the city.
In a statement, District 33 superintendent Kristina Davis said that meant classes went on as usual but with outside doors locked.
Davis said they know some students may hear the news, and it’s important that parents feel safe sending their kids to school.
The district also had staff walking and riding buses with students and stationed at bus stops “making sure every child arrives to and from school safely.”
Immigration arrests ramped up in cities like Elgin as well. A spokesperson for Elgin’s U-46 school district says there have been no reports of federal authorities at or around school grounds.
They say they aren’t allowed to disclose any information to ICE unless it’s under judicial order or with parent permission.
