The union representing Peoria Public Schools bus drivers and monitors is raising concerns about how recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] activity has impacted attendance.
A statement released by AFSCME Local 3716 says the labor organization “unequivocally condemns these operations” reported on Peoria’s South Side.
“So I’m perfectly clear on this, they have not boarded any busses, nor have they pulled any busses over,” spokesperson Rolf Sivertsen said on behalf of Local 3716.
“But we’ve been told by parents, the union members have, that [agents] have been surveilling bus stops. And we certainly have experienced a drop in attendance for bus riders because the kids are afraid to come to school.”
Over the past week, the Immigration Project posted several reports of confirmed and unconfirmed sightings of ICE activity in the Peoria area.
Demario Boone, the director of school safety for District 150, specifically referenced Hispanic and Latino families and students in both a social media post and an interview with WCBU, saying they have a right to an education and Peoria Public Schools is duty-bound to protect their safety.
But Sivertsen says the ICE activity impacts other families and students as well.
“It includes all kids, not just Hispanic boys and girls,” he said. “These children are their friends, and they hear these stories on how they might get deported. Some of the people that are scared are U.S. citizens, and they’re afraid that they’re going to be deported accidentally.
“The big problem with this is the fact that it affects the education of all children, all kids, and the reason why is because it compromises the climate of the buildings. It creates a very sad environment.”
Sivertsen said he also finds the timing of the heightened ICE operations noteworthy.
“It’s certainly not coincidental that this happened this close to the election,” he said. “Most of our drivers and union members feel like this is more of an intimidation tactic than an operation, to disenfranchise and convince the people of the South Side not vote, and it’s actually done the opposite.”
