"I thought there was a shooting, but it was ICE."

WashingtonThe day after anti-immigration agents arrested little LiamRebecca (a pseudonym) was in her classroom waiting for the children to arrive so classes could begin. "It was around 8:45 a.m., and some of the students were already having breakfast. We heard a lot of whistling from the street, which is what the neighbors do when ICE arrives, and the code red announcements started blaring over the school's loudspeaker." At that moment, Rebecca didn't yet know that the alarms were sounding because an ICE team had positioned themselves at the entrance of the building, trying to follow the children inside. Suppressing her nerves, she gathered her five-year-old students and followed protocol: block the door, close all the curtains, turn off the lights, and line up with all the children against the wall farthest from the door. It's the same procedure activated when there's an active shooter inside the school. "It was surreal; at that moment, I thought there was a shooting. But it turns out it was ICE."

"It's one of those moments you think will never happen to you, until it does." This teacher from a school in South Minneapolis explained to the ARA that Wednesday was the first time ICE had been in the vicinity of the school. Since January of last year, by order of President Donald Trump, anti-immigration agents have been authorized to conduct raids on schools and churches. With all the escalation of paramilitary violence Given the ICE's actions in the Twin Cities (the metropolitan area formed by Minneapolis and Saint Paul), it was only a matter of time before this happened, says the teacher, who explains that both they and the rest of the city's schools have long taken measures to protect their students. Her school has students ranging from preschool, around four years old, to fifth grade, around ten or eleven years old.

When Rebecca saw The photograph of Liam Ramos being detained by ICE agentsShe was stunned. "It was shocking and heartbreaking. It didn't happen to just anyone, but to a five-year-old boy. My students are five years old. It could have happened to anyone, and I can't imagine how that teacher must feel, how that family must feel, seeing what happened to that child. It's like the end of the day, and you just have to wait and pray to see them again the next day. Right now, in Minneapolis, it's a very real fear," the teacher recounts. Her voice catches in her throat through the phone receiver, as if she were gasping for air for a few seconds.

From the bus stop, where the children get off, to the main entrance of the school is about sixty meters. It's little more than turning the corner, walking a short distance along the sidewalk, and going up the stairs at the foot of the entrance. Despite the short distance, for weeks now the school has been taking a headcount of the children before they get off the bus, and once they enter the building, they take attendance again. It's to make sure everyone gets to school and that ICE agents haven't stopped anyone along the way, the teacher explains.

The constant checks to ensure all students arrive in the classroom aren't the only things that have changed since the massive ICE raid, dubbed Metro Surge, began in Minneapolis in December. Many parents have stopped bringing their children to school for fear of being stopped on the way. In her preschool class, Rebecca explains that 12 of her 22 students have stopped coming. "Our school is very affected, many of our students are, and many are taking classes online. I think we have one of the largest online learning communities right now," she says. This measure, offering online classes so that all those students who are at home can continue their studies, is one of the steps they've taken. But it's not the only one.

"The playground has been moved indoors, so now the students don't go outside. At dismissal time, the parents of other students—most of them white—pick up these affected students and take them home so their parents don't have to leave their homes or wherever they're staying." The bus dismissal procedures have also changed. "We wait until the buses are fully prepared to load, and all the students gather in a specific area of ​​the school, wherever it may be. Then, a large group of teachers escorts them to the bus to prevent any students from straying or having any interactions along the way," he explains.

What's happening at this school in the south of the city is the reality for the vast majority of Minneapolis schools. The terror has intensified now, with officers beginning to arrest minors in recent days. Liam's case has received the most attention because he is a five-year-old boy, but three other minors have been detained: on Tuesday, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, ICE agents removed a 17-year-old boy from his car and took him into custody; on January 14, another 17-year-old boy and his mother were arrested after agents raided their apartment; and on January 6, a 10-year-old girl was detained along with her mother while on her way to school.