Yesterday, federal immigration agents visited H.D. Cooke Elementary School during school arrival time and attempted to detain a staff member there. Many of you have reached out to me and I share your concerns. Thankfully, everyone remained calm and knew their rights. They asked to see a warrant, and when agents could not produce one, the agents left. I commend the quick actions of those who worked to keep our community members safe.

This may happen again—whether it’s at a school or another institution. The most effective thing we can do in these situations is to remain calm, stick together, and make sure that everyone knows their rights. We have collected resources on our website from trusted organizations with the necessary expertise.

I want to highlight one very important resource for families who may be at risk: under D.C. law, a parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian can designate a “standby guardian” to make short-term plans for a child in their care without terminating or limiting that person’s parental or custodial rights. You can find the form on our immigration resources web page.

We are strongest when we stand together. Thank you for caring deeply about our neighbors and for embodying our D.C. values through your actions and concern.