Acero Schools: School Board votes on closures, ICE says adult detained outside school is known gang member

CHICAGO (WGN) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detained a parent while he was dropping off children at an Acero Charter School in Gage Park on Wednesday morning, according to school administrators, sparking outrage and concern among families and community members already on edge over possible Acero Schools closures.

An ICE spokesperson, meanwhile, says the person detained is a known member of a violent street gang and has a criminal history.

The incident happened near West 51st Street and South St. Louis Avenue in Gage Park, where Victoria Soto High and Jovita Idar Elementary, both Acero Schools, share the same campus on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

Two students were inside the vehicle when the parent was detained, according to a letter sent by school administrators.

“ICE and ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agents detained an adult individual in their vehicle at roughly 8:15 a.m. (Wednesday),” the letter said. “Agents did not attempt to, nor were they permitted to, enter either Soto High School or Idar Elementary.”

Late Thursday morning, an ICE spokesperson responded to an inquiry by WGN about the situation.

“ICE Chicago arrested Francisco Andrade-Berrera, 37, a citizen of Mexico, (on) Feb. 26 without incident,” the spokesperson said. “Andrade is a known member of a violent street gang with criminal convictions for drug trafficking, gang loitering, and damage to property who was previously removed from the U.S. to his home country in 2005 and 2013.”

The principals for the two schools said staff escorted the two students from the car into the school and that nobody was hurt. They also assured parents that Acero’s Community Wellness Protocols were implemented, and support is being made available for those impacted by the incident.

Board to vote on closures

On Thursday morning, parents, teachers and Chicago Teachers Union members gathered to express their frustrations outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters for the possible closing of three Acero Schools.

They were put more on edge after Wednesday morning’s ICE detainment outside an Acero School, CTU members saying families are now facing both school closures and being ripped apart from each other.

“On one end, they’re fighting a president who wants them captured. On the other, they’re fighting a school district that wants to shut them out,” CTU member Hilario Dominguez said.

“Both are sending the same message: That their lives, their future, and the education of their children do not matter.”

In October, the Acero Schools Board of Directors proposed closing seven of its schools by the end of the school year, a move that since-fired CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said caught the district by surprise. The Chicago School Board then passed a resolution in December calling for the district to find a better solution for Acero Schools that would allow locations to remain open until next year.

Now, CPS leadership is looking to close three Acero Schools, with the School Board slated to vote Thursday. Community members rallied Wednesday and again Thursday, their concerns only amplified following the ICE detainment.

“(When) we have parents being grabbed from our schools, we’ve got to wonder: What is Chicago Public Schools doing to protect our children?” Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th Ward) said.

Added Dominguez: “What families need is for this board and CPS to keep their promise, to keep these communities whole, to keep these schools open, and to give these students the education they deserve.”