U.S. Border Patrol officials are vehemently rejecting claims that they are targeting schools, school buses, and churches as part of the Trump administration's efforts at mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
The Alice Independent School District in southeastern Texas warned parents in a letter Wednesday that Border Patrol agents might be checking the immigration status of students on school buses traveling for extracurricular activities before retracting the letter, the Texas Tribune reported Friday.
"The United States Border Patrol has a long history of defending our country and our borders," Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said in a video posted Friday on his X account. "Let me be very clear: United States Border Patrol agents do not target schools, school buses or churches."
In another post Friday on X by Gloria Chavez, the Border Patrol chief for the Rio Grande Valley Sector, wrote that "Patrol Agents are dedicated to keeping our border safe and secure; & strengthening our national security by conducting lawful immigration inspections at our checkpoints as we always have. Our operations remain the same. Our agents' daily efforts contribute to the safety & prosperity of our South Texas communities!"
The Rio Grande Valley Sector covers 34,000 square miles along southeast Texas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, including Jim Wells County, where the city of Alice is located.
"We, as members of the amazing RGV community, support our local school districts. Our focus will always be national security," Chavez wrote. "Misinformation creates unnecessary fear and confusion. Please stay informed with the Facts & not Fear."
In the letter by the Alice Independent School District, according to the Tribune, Superintendent Anysia Trevino warned parents and guardians that the district "received information that U.S. Border Patrol agents may be boarding school buses at highway checkpoints in and out of the Valley to question students about their citizenship status." She added if a student does not have ID or other documents that showed they are in the country legally, "they may be removed from the bus, detained, and possibly deported."
Her letter also warned that if students lie about their immigration status, they might not gain U.S. citizenship in the future. Under federal immigration law, someone who lies about being a U.S. citizen could be disqualified from receiving a green card or U.S. citizenship.
The school district removed the letter from its Facebook page and website, the Tribune reported, and posted another statement Thursday night calling the letter a proactive move "out of an abundance of caution."
The revised statement clarified that no Border Patrol agents boarded any of the school district's buses and district officials had no knowledge of the agency doing so in any other district.
Under federal law, immigration agents can enter vehicles to check for immigration papers of passengers without a warrant if that vehicle is traveling within 100 miles of the border. The city of Alice is located about 125 miles away from the nearest border crossing in Rio Grande City.
In an emailed statement late Thursday to the Tribune, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that if a bus travels through an immigration checkpoint, immigration officers can verify the immigration status of its passengers, including students. There is a Border Patrol checkpoint about 54 miles south of Alice and two other Border Patrol stations within 40 miles of the city.