Massachusetts school district tells bus drivers not to cooperate with ICE

The second largest public school district in Massachusetts is telling its bus drivers to defy federal immigration enforcement.

Worcester Public Schools recently sent a memo telling its bus drivers to keep students on the bus if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are waiting at a bus stop.

“A recent notification has gone out regarding ICE agents potentially being at bus stops,” the memo said, according to Patch. “If you are aware of any agents being at a stop, DO NOT let any student off the bus and contact the transportation office immediately.”

So far there are no reports of ICE agents waiting at bus stops during President Donald Trump’s administration, which is in the second week of what the president has called “the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.” 

Additionally, the district of 24,000 students sent a memo to families informing them that school officials generally will not cooperate with ICE agents. 

The memo said, in part: 

• We do not ask for families’ immigration statuses. 
• We will not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 
• We do not share student records with ICE, except in rare instances when a court order or parental/guardian consent is provided. 
• We will not allow ICE agents access to WPS facilities without a criminal judicial warrant signed by a federal judge. 
• We will not admit ICE agents into schools based on an administrative warrant, an ICE detainer, or any other document related to civil immigration enforcement. 

Worcester’s stance came after the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security scrapped a Biden administration policy that barred ICE agents from entering “sensitive areas” such as schools and churches.  

“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country,” a DHS spokesman said in a statement. “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.” 

Under Trump, ICE has taken a “worst first” approach, prioritizing arresting and deporting those recently charged with crimes and those wanted for crimes in their home countries, according to Fox News. Enforcement began in several cities last week, resulting in nearly 2,400 arrests and hundreds of deportations already. 

Notably, ICE arrested Haitian gang member Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles in Boston last week, which is about 45 minutes east of Worcester. He is an illegal immigrant with 17 criminal convictions in Massachusetts. He had multiple drug, violence and weapons convictions, according to ICE. 

Massachusetts has eight sanctuary cities where officials have promised safe harbor to illegal immigrants: Amherst, Boston, Cambridge, Concord, Lawrence, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville. Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan, however, has already started raids in sanctuary cities across the nation.