Sarasota County School Board Votes To Reaffirm Cooperation With ICE

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Despite protests from parents, students and community members, the Sarasota County School Board voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of a resolution reaffirming the school district’s full cooperation with law enforcement, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Board chair Bridget Ziegler, who introduced the resolution, Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose voted in favor of cooperating with ICE, while Tom Edwards and Liz Barker opposed it.

More than 150 signed up to speak out against the resolution during Tuesday’s seven-hour meeting, Fox 13 said.

“I’m a daughter of immigrants. I have a lot of friends who came here in asylum, who came here for a better life, who came here because where they were was not safe for them,” one student said, according to ABC 7. “ICE in general, it’s just, it’s honestly ridiculous. I think students, at least they could have done was keep ICE out of schools.”

Another expressed concern about safety while on campus, saying, “I feel like schools, churches, hospitals should be sacred. But they’re just not understanding that we don’t feel safe. And they honestly don’t care.”

"We're in a moment right now where there's a lot of polarization, there's a lot of emotion, and it's our responsibility to make it very clear to our community and to our staff what our expectations are and that we will work with all of our law enforcement agencies, including ICE," Ziegler said, according to Tampa Bay 28.

She proposed the resolution after Edwards attended an ICE protest following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.

At that event, Edwards told the crowd, according to WTSP, “[ICE officers] must produce a warrant in order to enter our schools, but judging from ICE behaviors up to and including this week, Renee Good’s murder, I am positive that cannot be trusted.”

“Our School District cannot provide safe harbor to criminals, including those who violate our immigration laws. Our most liberal School Board Member headlined the anti-ICE political rally in downtown Sarasota this past weekend, delivering wild claims that have confused and angered many in our community,” Ziegler wrote in a Jan. 13 Facebook post introducing her proposed resolution. “Following this political charade, it’s time to set the record straight - clearly and unequivocally: Our school district will ALWAYS cooperate and collaborate with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies — including ICE — to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and entire community.”

Under the resolution, board members and district employees are obligated “to uphold the rule of law without imposing unauthorized barriers or engaging in actions that could impede lawful enforcement.”

The resolution also said, “No School Board member, employee, contractor, volunteer, or representative shall impede, obstruct, or interfere with the lawful actions of any law enforcement agency, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Any such conduct shall be deemed a violation of this resolution, district policy, and potentially applicable laws, subjecting the individual to disciplinary action up to and including termination, as well as referral for criminal investigation if warranted.”

Edwards said during the meeting, “I wasn’t elected to support a political ideology. I was elected to support the safe, high-achieving, academic environment of all students. I care for the students, the teachers and the staff.”