Lorain immigrant community fearful after mother, student picked up by Border Patrol

LORAIN — Members of the city's immigrant community said they are fearful for the safety of their children at school after a mother and her daughter, an elementary student in Lorain Schools, were detained by U.S. Border Patrol officers. At a meeting of the Lorain Ohio Immigrants Rights Association on Tuesday, local Latino leaders sought to reassure parents that while last week's incident was an unusual circumstance, protocol is being reviewed to ensure that future instances are handled differently. "Border Patrol is not going to be coming to schools. No. 1, they have a policy that they will not come to schools unless there are exigent circumstances," said Reuben Figueroa, Lorain Schools safety coordinator. "In the future, if this unique situation were to happen again, there would be additional layers of support to the family." The mother was arrested Feb. 24 for the violation of an immigration order, according to a news release from the district. Figueroa said the mother was the passenger in a car during a traffic stop in Bay Village. After it was found that she violated an immigration order, two Border Patrol officers accompanied her to Washington Elementary in Lorain where her daughter attended. "When they went into the school, the two agents went in with the mother. They met with the principal, who verified and spoke to them about that, who then reached out to the central office," Figueroa said. "Then they took the child with the mom." The current whereabouts of the mother and daughter are unclear. The agents wore plainclothes and arrived in an unmarked vehicle so they would not induce panic, Figueroa said. The principal followed school policy, and there was no reported misconduct by the Border Patrol agents. Victor Leandry, executive director of El Centro de Servicios Sociales, described what occurred as "very painful and a situation that really impacts the Latino community," but said he is appreciative of the district's response. "The schools were so open to look at policies and procedures to be sure that in the future, our kids from the Latino community are safe in the schools," he said. Revisions to the policy for responding to these types of incidents are being drafted, following meetings last weekend between representatives from the schools, police department and city. Specifically, a policy change requiring a law enforcement officer to verify the Border Patrol credentials and paperwork is sought, along with the requirement of a bilingual person to be present. "A Spanish speaking person from the school should be present to interpret, to make sure they feel that what is being said is translated and interpreted correctly on both sides," Figueroa said. "That the Border agents are understanding the person and the person is understanding the agents." He told worried parents that it is paramount to verify that any agents are who they claim to be, not human traffickers or drug cartel members posing as Border Patrol officers. Also, except in emergencies, federal officials will be asked to remain outside school buildings and at no time will uniformed agents be allowed to search any school facility, according to the news release. When a student is at school, the district has custody of that child and is responsible for his or her safety and only a parent or authorized guardian will be allowed to remove a child from the district's custody, district officials said previously. The Lorain Ohio Immigrants Rights Association is an organization made up of both U.S. citizens and undocumented immigrants seeking to help undocumented people in the Lorain community. The group typically meets twice monthly. Fear about students' safety at school has even spread to documented immigrants and Puerto Rican-born U.S. citizens, Figueroa said. Some are hesitant to send their kids to school in the morning. "We're just trying to show them that this is your school," Figueroa said. "Your kids are supposed to be safe in our school and our goal is to ensure their safety and that also means their security." Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.