Montgomery County officials are trying to reassure communities rattled by an incident involving the arrest of two men near a Silver Spring middle school in Maryland.
According to an account posted by Montgomery County Councilmember Kristin Mink on her Facebook page, an Eastern Middle School parent described the arrest as being carried out by “Two heavily armed, masked men.” The parent said two men were chased, detained and then walked handcuffed along the sidewalk near the school.
In a message to the Montgomery County school community posted on the school system’s website on Tuesday, Montgomery County Public School Superintendent Thomas Taylor referred to the Sept. 10 incident as a “federal immigration enforcement action,” and said, “For many in our community, immigration enforcement is not simply a policy issue; it is deeply personal.”
Taylor restated his commitment to what he called “Strict Protocols for Immigration Enforcement Visits” and described the procedures that the schools follow in those cases.
During a briefing with reporters on Wednesday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich called the incident “destabilizing” for children who witnessed it, which happened when children and parents were arriving for the morning drop-off at the middle school.
“I’m sure that makes the kids even more nervous about coming to school, and that’s the last thing we need,” he said.
Erlich said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Council officials that they weren’t going to do enforcement actions at schools.
During Elrich’s briefing, Louisa Cardona, recently appointed the county’s assistant chief administrative officer, urged families to “please make sure that your family has a family preparedness plan, please encourage your neighbors” to do the same, she said, suggesting that families contact the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center for more information.
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