ICE Denies Asking Student On SF Bus For ID: Report

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect an ICE statement provided to KRON4 that indicated the encounter the student experienced was not with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement .

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco middle school student was reportedly approached on a Muni bus by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent, who asked the student for their identification on Thursday morning, KRON4 reported. However, on Friday an ICE spokesperson told KRON4 that the encounter the student reported was not with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

The student reported the incident to the San Francisco Unified School District. In response, the district notified schools neighboring Visitacion Valley Middle School.

Arenson noted that district leadership, Refugee & Immigrant Solidarity in Education and the SF Rapid Response Network had been notified.

Tensions surrounding the issue of immigration have skyrocketed nationwide as President Donald Trump's administration has vowed to conduct immigration enforcement near or in schools.

State and local education leaders in California rebuked the move and have issued guidance to immigrant students and families about their rights.

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The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday reversed a 2011 policy that prohibited immigration authorities from detaining immigrants near locations like schools, child care centers, playgrounds, hospitals and churches.

“This action empowers the brave men and women in (Customs and Border Protection) and (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday.

On the same day, California's Department of Education sent a letter to local public education administrators with resources for immigrant students and families and reminders about their rights.

Under state law, school officials are not required to allow immigration agents to enter schools without a warrant issued by a judge, Ed Source reported.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said that all children, regardless of their or their family's immigration status, have a right to equal access to free public education. The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe found that public schools could not request citizenship documentation of students nor deprive children of an education, Education Week reported.

"I know there is a lot of fear and anxiety around the incoming administration’s anticipated changes to immigration policy, and I want to make sure students, their parents, and their teachers and school administrators are prepared," Bonta said.

School officials are bracing for the consequences of the Trump administration’s order allowing immigration enforcement near schools.

The Association of California School Administrators in a statement said that experience shows "this decision will result in some students not attending school, families disengaging, academics being disrupted, and severe impacts on social-emotional well-being."

READ MORE: If ICE Comes To School: CA Issues Guidance For Teachers, Staff

Patch Staffer Chris Lindahl contributed to this report.