Bentonville schools debunk ICE field trip rumors after mix-up
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Bentonville Public Schools officials clarified Saturday that students did not tour an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility this week, despite online claims that they had taken a field trip there.
Driving the news: In a Saturday email to district employees, students, and families obtained by Axios, Superintendent Debbie Jones said the mix-up occurred when a bus briefly took Gifted and Talented students to the wrong building before transporting them to the intended destination, a Homeland Security Investigations office in Fayetteville. It was for forensics education, she said.
- The students were in fourth-grade, district spokesperson Leslee Wright confirmed to Axios.
What they're saying: "At no time did students witness any aspect of ICE operations, nor did they tour the site," according to the email.
State of play: The Department of Homeland Security and ICE offices in Fayetteville are listed at the same address on North Point Circle.
How it happened: When Axios asked Wright to clarify which buildings the students were taken to, she said the bus arrived at the building at that address, was told they were at the wrong location, and to follow a vehicle to the correct location.
- The bus could not find that vehicle and returned to the initial location.
- From there, a Department of Homeland Security agent guided the bus to the correct place on North Plainview Avenue in Fayetteville, where the students went on the tour, Wright said.
Context: Homeland Security Investigations agents conduct fingerprint analysis, digital forensics and evidence collection, according to Jones' email.
- "Students receive opportunities to learn about sophisticated techniques, including thermal imaging cameras, audio wires and night vision goggles," she said.