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Police chief, superintendent respond to concernsBy Kevin O’Brien As the new Trump administration rolls out mass deportations, local officials are trying to reassure immigrants in the Abbotsford area that their top priority continues to be serving and protecting all residents, regardless of immigration status. “Yes, we do have a lot of people who are in our jurisdiction illegally,” said Colby-Abbypolice chief Alex Bowman during an interview Tuesday. “But it’s important for them to know that we are not the federal government.” Still, it’s clear that the fear of deportation has grown substantially since President Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20 and started signing executive orders calling for more aggressive deportation efforts nationwide. Ryan Bargender, superintendent of the Abbotsford School District, said he knows of at least one family that pulled their children out of the district and said they were moving back to Mexico. He said both staff members and families in the district are worried about what could happen to them if they are caught up in a deportation sweep. Concerns were ratcheted up after Trump rescinded a policy that prevented agentsfrom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from entering schools, churches and hospitals to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. On Tuesday, the district sent out an email to parents letting them know that district staff is being briefed on their responsibilities and protocols in the event of an ICE enforcement
See IMMIGRATION/ Page 5 ….
Police chief, superintendent respond to concernsBy Kevin O’Brien As the new Trump administration rolls out mass deportations, local officials are trying to reassure immigrants in the Abbotsford area that their top priority continues to be serving and protecting all residents, regardless of immigration status. “Yes, we do have a lot of people who are in our jurisdiction illegally,” said Colby-Abbypolice chief Alex Bowman during an interview Tuesday. “But it’s important for them to know that we are not the federal government.” Still, it’s clear that the fear of deportation has grown substantially since President Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20 and started signing executive orders calling for more aggressive deportation efforts nationwide. Ryan Bargender, superintendent of the Abbotsford School District, said he knows of at least one family that pulled their children out of the district and said they were moving back to Mexico. He said both staff members and families in the district are worried about what could happen to them if they are caught up in a deportation sweep. Concerns were ratcheted up after Trump rescinded a policy that prevented agentsfrom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from entering schools, churches and hospitals to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. On Tuesday, the district sent out an email to parents letting them know that district staff is being briefed on their responsibilities and protocols in the event of an ICE enforcement

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