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ICE is becoming more dangerous, what should an SPS student do to protect themself?

  • Writer: Carys Vance
    Carys Vance
  • Jan 27
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jan 28

Photo Credit: New York Times

As ICE officers continue to surpass their jurisdiction and the current government continues to ignore and violate laws and court orders, the assurance of schools as a “safe haven” no longer feels like enough. The ongoing unrest in Minneapolis including the deaths of ICU nurse Alex Preti and writer, poet, and mother Reneé Good, and the response of our current presidential cabinet are indicative of crumbling democracy and order in America. The power being presented to ICE makes it not the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, but essentially a gestapo-type gang of unchecked militarism roaming our streets. This is very obviously the result of insane quotes being instituted by the Trump Administration, that require 3000 deportations a day, which prompt drastic, un-democratic actions among ICE officers. However, ICE has a danger that stems from issues beyond these quotas, that should worry students. 


ICE is More Dangerous Than We May Realize


ICE officers are not normal military personnel, and they are not hired as such. The story presented in The Guardian by Marina Dunbar about Slate reporter Laura Jedeed and her experience applying to ICE is insanely concerning. She made it to a FINAL job offer, despite not having provided identification details, or any form of background check, including a domestic violence affidavit. The hiring officer Jedded talked to was quoted saying “the goal is to put as many guns and badges out in the field as possible.” Jedded is an openly anti-Trump, anti-ICE journalist, so the final job offer indicates that ICE hiring didn’t so much as google her before offering her the job. The lack of regulation in the hiring process demonstrates that ICE officers are non-background-checked individuals, who are then armed and given an exorbitant amount of power to roam the streets of major cities, beating, kidnapping, and killing citizens. People who are armed and given authority need to be people who are proven mentally sound, people who have no history of illegal violence or cruelty, and that is not being assured through the ICE hiring process. 


Taking the example provided by fellow reporter Maya Collins: the Stanford Prison Experiment, and its original sampling bias. The experiment, famous for demonstrating the “degradation of humanity” when people are given more power, had an inherent bias because of the way it recruited people to the experiment. According to Arther Lurigio, the recruitment posters included the term "prison life,” which was later questioned as potentially attracting those pre-disposed to aggressive behavior. The experiment was repeated in 2007 using two separate groups, one who was sampled with the “prison life” poster and one who was sampled with a poster not including the term. Results showed there were higher rates of aggressive tendencies in the "prison life” group, indicating people who were more aggressive were attracted to environments advertised as violent. This directly applies to ICE, people know what they are signing up to do when they apply to work as ICE officers. They know they will be armed, and allowed to act violently in a way that the law otherwise prohibits them from doing. Certain people will find this more attractive than others, specifically people that are seeking out violent situations, which they will bring with them into their actions as an ICE officer.


ICE is terrifyingly dangerous, they are not trained the same, they are not of the same background as normal law enforcement, and they will therefore not react in the predictable, appropriate manner to stressful or agitating situations. The murders of Alex Preti and Reneé Good demonstrate this: ICE is not acting in a rational manner, and we should not expect them to; we must take added precaution to protect ourselves from their actions. 


Photo Credit: Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times

SPS and ICE

This being said, Seattle Public Schools and Ingraham have begun to implement plans to protect students from ICE. Legally, ICE cannot enter any school buildings, but they have already begun to approach that line with Seattle schools. According to Claire Bryan with the Seattle Times, Six SPS schools, including Cleveland High School, went into lockdown on Tuesday following reports of ICE activity around the school. This has left students feeling scared and confused, and has reaffirmed to the district and all SPS schools that students need to understand shelter-in-place protocols and what to do if ICE attempts to enter the building. ICE is not allowed in any school unless they have a warrant that has been reviewed by a SPS legal representative. KOMO News reported that SPS officials are trained to meet agents at the door, request legal documentation, and deny entry unless this documentation is confirmed by a legal representative. As confirmed by Ingraham’s own response to the incident, Mr. Elvig would be the SPS official to respond to ICE attempting to enter Ingraham. If ICE is reported in the area, Ingraham will go into shelter-in-place, which is distinct from a lock-down drill in that class continues with the doors locked and shades drawn, instead of students relocating to a more secure area in the classroom. 


Ingraham’s Upcoming Lockdown


In response to ICE’s concerning activities in the area, Ingraham is having a shelter-in-place drill on Thursday. This shelter-in-place drill will likely be unlike most drills students have experienced, as it is scheduled to be announced in between second and third period, so that students get practice with going into shelter-in-place during the passing period. Students should go back to the class they just came from to complete the drill. 


If you are an Ingraham Student worried about ICE and what your rights may be concerning their activities, please check out the article "How Does ICE Affect Ingraham High School" by Amelie Wolfe, which informs students of their rights surrounding ICE in both English and Spanish. Stay safe, use caution, and please take all shelter-in-place and lock-down announcements seriously, drill or not.



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