GRAND JUNCTION — The American Civil Liberties Union has jumped into the fray over school resource officers working with immigration authorities in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The organization sent a letter to Roaring Fork School Board members Monday urging the district to adopt a policy that would prohibit school resource officers from collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The ACLU asserts that students’ fears that school officers are also serving as immigration officers could be enough to keep them out of school. That could be a violation of federal court decisions guaranteeing all children an education regardless of immigration status.
The issue blew up in Carbondale last month after some students and their parents complained about a school resource officer who had also participated in ICE arrests at public events and at the homes of students.
“We fear this may be an increasing problem in the future as there is more and more pressure for local officers to work with federal immigration authorities,” said Rebecca Wallace, an ACLU staff attorney. “This is a good example of how this can cause problems in local communities.”
The issue has not surfaced in a random sampling of other districts around Colorado.
Brian Ewert, superintendent of the Englewood School District, said he is not aware of any connections between resource officers and immigration enforcement activities in his district.
“Our SRO is there to keep order and to build positive relationships, not to find out who the illegals are,” Ewert said.
The Roaring Fork school district, which has already been pressured by immigrant rights groups on the issue, is considering adopting a policy that could result in school officers being prohibited from taking part in immigration-related enforcement.
Roaring Fork Superintendent Judy Haptonstall said she has been meeting with law enforcement authorities and talking with neighboring districts as the district considers whether a new policy is necessary.
“We are still in the information collecting stage,” she said.
Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling has said the Carbondale school resource officer on his staff who also worked as a liaison with ICE was only involved in criminal arrests and investigations involving ICE, not immigration enforcement.
Wallace said that distinction is lost on families with undocumented members because the primary mission of ICE is to enforce federal laws governing immigration, customs and border control.
Two immigrant rights groups have scheduled a rally on the controversy in Carbondale Thursday.
