The illegal immigration crisis is increasingly spilling into taxpayer-funded schools, and not just from the children of foreign nationals enrolled. In Seattle, dozens of illegal border crossers have set up an encampment on the tennis courts of Garfield High School after they were kicked out of a nearby hotel because of a lack of funds.
A local news report notes that such activity on the property of school districts and city parks is illegal, but the group says they have nowhere to go. They're now demanding free housing.
The new set-up drew the attention of neighbors and students Wednesday, and the city of Seattle is now scrambling to respond.
The group put a call out over social media to help about 240 Venezuelan refugees, including children, and two groups from the Congo now living on the tennis courts.
“This is not a good condition for children to be in. They’re missing school, they’re being traumatized, and our city officials are not listening to us,” one refugee from Venezuela explained.
“This is how we live: with our clothes in our bags, and our toothbrushes,” stated one man from the Congo as he pointed to a small tote holding his belongings. [...]
By Wednesday afternoon, the refugees held a rally demanding King County and others help them secure more stable housing until they can get work permits and support themselves.
“Without having the stable housing that we’ve been asking for, of just even like two or three months of stability, it’s so hard for us to follow through with our asylum cases,” Adrianna Figuera from Venezuela explained. […]
Meanwhile, King County has provided millions of dollars worth of support to house refugees in hotels, though funds are dwindling until the summertime when $5 million from the governor's budget will become available to respond to the refugee crisis. (KOMO News)
NOW: A migrant camp is being set up on the tennis courts at Garfield High School in Seattle. This is the group that was living in a hotel in Kent for the last few months. Our @JackieKentNews is up there now gathering info. https://t.co/e915ilnkiT pic.twitter.com/YR2K0FpVoD
— Jeremy Harris (@JeremyHarrisTV) April 3, 2024
In New Mexico, a middle school went on lockdown twice after a group of illegal immigrants entered the school to evade Border Patrol.
The Superintendent of Gadsden ISD Travis Dempsey said there have been two incidents in the past week of migrants entering the Santa Teresa Middle School.
Dempsey said the first incident happened March 20 and the second happened Wednesday which prompted placing the campus in secure mode for about 20 minutes and eventually led to the apprehension of six migrants by Border Patrol agents.
“It is concerning and it does at some level interrupt our educational process when we do things of this nature,” said Dempsey.
Refugio Corrales, a spokesperson with Customs and Border Patrol said the migrants they encounter in Santa Teresa and Sunland Park are often avoiding being arrested by agents. (KFOX14)
Family members are growing increasingly concerned about the incidents.
“We’re a little nervous because with the fear and nerves migrants have of being caught by immigration officials, we don’t know if they’d do something to our students,” parent Maria Gallegos said, according to KFOX14.
“It's really bad because we’re with the concern that something could happen to the kids,” said Lorenzo Gandara, a family member of an ISD student.
Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio blasted the incidents.
-Illegal aliens found hiding in a New Mexico middle school.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 2, 2024
-The school has been put on lockdown twice for similar incidents.
-Parents worried for their children’s safety.
How long until this happens where you live? https://t.co/GTdD39ex2r