A Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher is back in his native Honduras after he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month during a routine immigration appointment, board members said Friday.
The teacher, who has not been identified, is a middle school science teacher. He was detained a week prior to President Donald Trump taking office, the teacher’s union confirmed.
“It’s tragic in so many ways,” said Luisa Santos, a Miami-Dade School Board member.
The union confirmed he is 24 years old, came to the United States at 13 years old, and was a DACA recipient
“I believe that this person unfortunately has been deported,” Santos said.
She said the deportation is certainly going to have an effect on students, saying teachers are vessels of inspiration and provide a strong foundation for many students.
“Having been an undocumented student myself and knowing the fear that one can feel to think about coming home and a family member not being there, this is tragic,” she said.
The teacher was teaching science in District Four, which has seven middle schools in that area.
“That’s potentially a team without a coach, that’s potentially a club without a sponsor, those are teachers without their colleagues,” Santos said. “That family is now a family that is incomplete.”
The district did not share the name of the school the teacher worked for. NBC6 was told faculty at the school is devastated after hearing the teacher went in for his regular immigration check-up and was detained, never to be released.
“The school board does not represent law enforcement. We are not ICE agents. We are educators,” said school board member Steve Gallon.
Both school board members assured that schools remain safe spaces for children, and student privacy is the law of the land.
“There are protocols that facilitate coordination and that coordination is done in a manner that does not disrupt the operation of the school, it protects student privacy,” Gallon said.
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools complies with all federal guidelines regarding work authorization. As such, all employees are authorized to work upon hire,” officials said in a statement.
The district confirmed they have not been notified one of their teachers was detained by the feds.
“We have not received any formal notification from the Department of Homeland Security or its immigration enforcement entities of the detention or the status of a Miami-Dade County Public Schools employee or teacher,” another statement read. “Without formal confirmation, we cannot comment on an employee’s immigration status.”
