Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aren’t just detaining and deporting individuals from border towns and big cities.
Recently, the agency was involved in a case in Morgan County.
According to Morgan County Sheriff Tyler Hooks, his office was recently made aware of a concerning situation involving a middle school student at Morgan County Middle School who had been transferred to the Crossroads School, an alternative educational facility on Bethany Road.
The student had drawn images and written messages that demonstrated a disturbing preoccupation with school violence.
“Upon receiving this information, our deputies immediately opened an investigation,” Hooks said. “During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the student had engaged in research and online activity consistent with a growing interest in school violence. Investigators also identified several concerning materials and social media posts that raised additional red flags regarding the student’s mindset and intentions.”
Hooks said it was also determined that both the student and the student’s mother were in the country illegally and had active deportation orders.
Agents with ICE then conducted an operation on Sept. 17 and safely apprehended both individuals. The Morgan County Charter School System had no prior knowledge of the operation.
The sheriff, who was a junior at Heritage High School in 1999 when Anthony Solomon opened fire at the school with a .22 rifle, said the MCSO would take swift and decisive action to protect Morgan County’s youth.
“The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to working closely with our schools, state agencies, and federal partners to prevent violence and ensure the safety of our children and school staff,” Hooks said. “As Sheriff of Morgan County, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: we will always take any threat to our schools seriously, and we will act decisively to protect our students and staff. The safety of our children is not negotiable. All students and teachers deserve to feel safe walking into a classroom, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that remains true. Our investigators will respond swiftly, thoroughly, and in coordination with the appropriate agencies to address any potential threat.
“While the school district was not informed in advance of ICE’s operation, our priority throughout has been ensuring the safety of students and staff. Our schools are the heart of our community, and any threat to them is a threat to us all. The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office will never hesitate to act when it comes to the safety of our children.”
Additional reports suggest the mother and child may have been deported to Honduras by ICE, but that has not been confirmed by the agency.