Washington’s Hispanic community fighting fear and rallying help as rumors of an ICE crackdown bubble

WASHINGTON (AP) — Word spread — and fast — as it does in so many moments of rumor and fear.

Early Tuesday morning, dozens of concerned parents and staff members gathered outside of Mundo Verde, one of Washington’s most prominent bilingual schools, bracing for a crackdown.

A flurry of rumors and unconfirmed media reports had fueled fears that agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be descending on area schools that were known to have large Hispanic immigrant populations.

The group tensed up as a black SUV slowly cruised past the school twice, then parked up the block. “I think it’s happening,” one parent said.

The man who emerged turned out to be a television news cameraman. People laughed in relief — for the moment.

Washington’s sanctuary city status in limbo

It was a rare moment of levity in the middle of several days of tension and fear as Washington’s Hispanic community waits for President Donald Trump’s pledge of an immigration crackdown to take shape in the nation’s capital. It mirrors, in some ways, similar fears around the country.

The reports of a crackdown on bilingual schools in the District turned out to be a false alarm that day — but only partially false. While the schools were on high alert, ICE agents reportedly raided several local restaurants, including Millie’s in northwest Washington. On Wednesday, staffers at Millie’s were reluctant to discuss the incident, with one manager — who did not give a name — saying the restaurant had been descended upon by “fascists.”

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Staff at Millie’s referred all questions to owner Bo Blair, who did not respond to an emailed request for comment. ICE also did not immediately respond to a request for details on what establishments had been raided and whether anyone had been detained.

The ambient fear among Washington’s robust Hispanic community, though, remains. It is exacerbated by concerns that the city government will not help them. Washington, D.C., declared itself a sanctuary city in 2020 via the Sanctuary Values Act. Among the most prominent aspects of that declaration is a “prohibition on cooperation with federal immigration agencies” by city officials and agencies.

But Mayor Muriel Bowser has publicly distanced herself from that status ever since Trump was elected to a second term. Bowser has worked hard to maintain a positive relationship with Trump and with congressional Republicans, who hold significant power over the District of Columbia.

In February, she publicly characterized the sanctuary city designation as “an expression of our values,” but not a binding legal concept. The city and its agencies, she said, would not hinder or defy any federal immigration enforcement efforts.

“I think it’s misleading to suggest to anyone that … this is a place where you can violate immigration laws,” Bowser said. “The city is not an immigration enforcement agency. No city is. The federal government is.”

How the community prepares for ICE raids

Washington’s Hispanic community, and the schools and charities that serve it, have spent months quietly preparing for the worst-case scenario.

“My community is really scared,” said one senior official at a local bilingual school, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect her students, parents and staff. “We have a whole crisis management plan if ICE was to come to the door.”

That plan includes posting “private property” signs all around the school perimeter and running special trainings for staff members on how to handle the arrival of ICE agents. Parents have been advised to sign “custody agreements” stipulating who would be authorized to take care of their children if they were suddenly detained. The administrator estimated that as much as 35% of the school’s student body “could be undocumented.”

In February, a collection of bilingual charter schools hosted a “Know Your Rights” training session for parents conducted by an immigration attorney. Dozens of families attended, although many were afraid to attend in person and participated via Zoom.

The attorney, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect her clients, said requests for “Know Your Rights” training sessions have surged in the past six months, “Anybody who was anything less than a full citizen is going, ‘Oh my God, what does this mean for me?’”

The attorney said that “managing this culture of fear” has become a steadily increasing part of her job. And for clients who are undocumented, “I don’t really have advice for them other than to just stay off the radar.”

At Mundo Verde this week, parents set up tables on the sidewalk so they could work on their laptops and stay all day, just in case. Another school, Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, established a volunteer escort network to help bring students safely to and from the school building.

Rio Sigala, a Mundo Verde parent, praised the immediate rallying of physical support from the school’s non-Hispanic parents and community.

“As a Latina, seeing how many parents are out here in solidarity makes you feel less alone,” Sigala said. “You walk around kind of scared and to see everyone come out, it feels hopeful.”

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Associated Press reporter Chris Megerian contributed to this report.