Officers accused of entering Cincinnati schools, claiming to be with ICE speak out

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A spokesperson with the Cincinnati Public Schools said the officers visited three buildings on Wednesday, claiming that they were with ICE and needed to conduct welfare checks on students, according to a previous report.

Lamanna and Baylor told News Center 7 that they didn’t misrepresent themselves.

>>RELATED: Village schedules emergency meeting after chief enters area schools claiming to be ICE agent

“I did not insinuate that I have a federal license or that I am there on behalf of any federal agency,” Baylor said.

Baylor said the chief asked him to pair up on Wednesday for backup in an officer safety role.

He said he didn’t know they would visit Cincinnati Public Schools or that he would be portrayed as immigration enforcement.

“She had all the talking, I stayed silent the whole day because again, that’s not my job,” Baylor said.

Security cameras captured the officers at the schools they visited.

The district’s superintendent claimed that they said they were with ICE.

News Center 7 obtained documents that show the Gratis Police Department is an identified partner of the federal agency.

Earlier this week, this media obtained the following statement from ICE about the incident:

“ICE does not target schools for enforcement actions. Yesterday, a local law enforcement partner attempted to verify school enrollment and conduct welfare checks on children who arrived unaccompanied across the border. To be crystal clear, this was not an ICE officer or an enforcement action.”

News Center 7 also got a hold of Lamanna for a brief conversation on this topic.

After being asked why she tried to check on children an hour and 15 minutes from Gratis, she said the information was “Provided by ICE and only had 7 days to complete once they provided names and addresses.”

Lamanna said she will provide more information once she is permitted to do so.

Baylor said he never thought a simple assignment would end with him becoming the target of threats.

“I have had some death threats over all of this,” he said.

Baylor added that he is still on probation with the department since he was just hired last fall. He believes the village council will not extend any discipline to him.

The village council is holding an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon to discuss the incident.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

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