The Bentonville Elementary Gifted and Talented program has been subject to some criticism due to a recent field trip they had taken to the Fayetteville Department of the Homeland Security Investigations Office on Jan. 15.

The field trip was subject to criticism due to its affiliation with the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

The self-proclaimed democracy focused non-profit organization known as For AR People made an Instagram post about the field trip on Jan. 16, decrying the event.

“Public schools are meant to be safe places for learning,” the post said. “They are most certainly NOT spaces that normalize detention, family separation or fear for thousands of Northwest Arkansas kids who already live with uncertainty for their families.”

Superintendent Debbie Jones would later state the purpose of the field trip via email on Jan. 17.

“Students receive opportunities to learn about sophisticated techniques, including thermal imaging cameras, audio wires and night vision goggles,” the email said. “It’s a phenomenal experience for students.”

A copy of the email can be found at the official website of the Arkansas Grassroots Initiative For Transparency and Accountability’s (GRITA).

While they were supposed to be at the site investigations center, the email explains that they had accidentally gone to the wrong location, sparking the controversy online.

“Unknown to our bus driver and teachers, students were delivered to the wrong site,” Jones wrote. “When informed that it was the wrong building, students were immediately driven to the correct building. At no time did students witness any aspect of ICE operations, nor did they tour the site.”

For AR People would later correct their statement with this new information but would continue to address some criticisms that the organization still had towards the district in another Instagram post.

“Per a statement from the Bentonville School District, a group of 4th graders toured a Homeland Security Investigations office, not an ICE processing facility,” the post said. “District officials say students were taken to the wrong building and did not witness ICE operations. While HSI is a different division, it operates under ICE, and for some immigrant families we’ve heard from, the distinction offers little reassurance.”

The same sentiment could be found throughout the school district itself, with some students having a walkout protesting the field trip at 10:00 am on Jan. 21.

“Bentonville schools partnering with organizations that employ ICE agents is compliant and distasteful,” said a Facebook discussion board detailing why the protest was occurring. “Let me just state that the walkout stems from the event but also is intended to protest ICE as a majority, and will be organized to do so in a safe and orderly manner to insure optimal success.”

The protest was created by Facebook user Shayna Harold with the Facebook group ICE Watch Northwest Arkansas supporting the student-led protest.

“The Bentonville student walkout on Tuesday is student organized and led,” said group Admin Mia Magalena in a Facebook post. “We are not involved, but support their efforts as independent and civic individuals.”

This is not the only form of controversy that ICE has been involved in having recently committed multiple shootings in the past month with two receiving media attention, both in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a city facing many protests due to ICE’s presence.

The first shooting occurred when 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good was shot three times in her car on Jan. 7, eight days before the Bentonville field trip.

Another victim was 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti who, in a BCC video, can be seen helping a bystander while a group of ICE agents attacked them. 

Pretti was later forced to the ground and shot by ICE agents while facedown on the pavement.

Sympathy for the victims and sense for a continued purpose could still be found within the vigils for the victims.

“Do not be fooled, my neighbors and friends, that when we gather to say we will not fear, when we gather to say do not fear it is not because there is no reason to be afraid. There are plenty of reasons to be afraid. But fear around us and fear within us are not the same thing,” said Bishop of Southeastern Minn. in the Evangelical Lutheran Church Rev. Regina Hassanaly at a vigil for Renee Good in Minn. “We are a people who are not bound, will not be bound, cannot be bound by fear or consumed by fear there may be reason to fear, but we will not be afraid … fear is a dictator. Hope is the antidote to fear.”

According to a Reuters article, due to this recent controversy, top border official Gregory Bovino will be stepping away from Minneapolis, with some federal agents leaving with him, as border czar Tom Homan takes over the operation.

If anyone finds themselves the subject of an ICE raid, the organization Informed Immigrant, has prepared a video with important information about what to do.

First, it is important to have a lawyer in the situation that someone is detained, in order to give legal advice or have someone to properly represent them.

It is important to make sure that you have key information and documents recorded and copied in case of a potential raid.

If one is being raided, do not let ICE into your home; instead, check to see if they have a warrant for your arrest with your correct name, address and a judge’s signature. If the warrant is not signed by a judge, they are not allowed to come in.

If all of this information is met, contact your attorney to make sure everything is up to scrutiny. 

When someone is being detained simply reply with the phrase “‘I have the right to remain silent.’” 

Do not sign any documents or papers without an attorney present.

Bystanders are encouraged to record the detaining of the individual. When doing so, make sure you have the name, badge number and agency of the officer who is detaining the individual, all the while getting the full picture of what is happening.

If you are in a public space, you cannot be arrested or detained without a warrant. 

If you are stopped by an ICE officer, do not panic; simply ask if you are being detained and if the answer is no, calmly walk away.

While not much, this information can be important to know in case one is raided by ICE.