PTA Hosts an ICE Response Training for Parents, ‘White Allies’ Told Using Whistles Shows ‘Desire for Authority’

Parent Teacher Association leaders in Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the wealthiest school districts in the country, hosted a virtual training session last month instructing families on how to respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, as reported by The New York Post.

The session, held Jan. 20, was led by Councilwoman Kristin Mink and titled “ICE Response & Organizing Tools for PTAs, Parents & Guardians.”

According to National Review, Mink has previously hosted multiple sessions focused on ways schools can equip themselves with “tools to slow ICE down and protect each other.”

Wealthy Maryland school district PTA trains parents in how to disrupt ICE enforcement operations https://t.co/C188D6bt5o

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During the training, parents were guided on how to escort students whose parents are in the country illegally. Volunteers were encouraged to monitor ICE activity during school drop-off and pickup times.

The presentation also outlined ways to support families affected by ICE arrests and deportations.

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Mink reportedly presented a comprehensive “rapid response” guide that she had created and shared publicly three days before the meeting. One slide detailed how “White allies” could assist members of the community.

The slide advised against using whistles to counter what it described as “ICE violence,” a tactic that has been used in some communities as a form of resistance.

“Especially for White allies, whistles can represent a subconscious desire for authority, protection, or control in moments of crisis,” the slide said.

“But rapid response is not about assuming authority. . . . When we question decisions made by those impacted, we risk centering our own comfort instead of impacted people.”

Mink also wrote, “What feels ‘activating’ or empowering to some can cause stress to others,” adding that “Black and Brown communities are already overexposed to chronic noise pollution due to racist zoning, redlining, and disinvestment.”

Another portion of the slide addressed how characteristics such as gender, sexuality, and education align with positions of power or marginalization.

The training comes amid an ongoing national debate over immigration enforcement and school involvement in related activism.

In September, the Department of Homeland Security addressed claims surrounding ICE activity in schools, stating that, contrary to what it described as “fearmongering” by sanctuary politicians, “ICE is not conducting enforcement operations at, or ‘raiding,’ schools.”

Mink’s presentation reflects a broader trend within segments of the anti-ICE movement, where disagreements have emerged between immigrant-led organizations and predominantly White “rapid response” activists over the use of whistles during enforcement actions.

Organizations such as the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network and Maryland-based coalitions have argued that blowing whistles amounts to a “White Savior” tactic that can create unnecessary panic and escalate tensions during enforcement activity.

The Jan. 20 meeting generated criticism from some education watchdogs who questioned whether parent-teacher groups should be engaging in political organizing.

“It goes without saying, PTAs should focus on their original intent: students — not injecting inflammatory and divisive political rhetoric into the community,” Kendall Tietz, investigative reporter at Defending Education, told the National Review.

The Montgomery County Council of PTAs promoted and advertised the online presentation on its social media platforms.

According to the event’s online sign-up sheet, several organizations supported the session, including education associations, labor unions, and immigration advocacy groups.

Individual school PTAs also promoted the event through their official channels, including Gaithersburg Middle School, Laytonsville Elementary School, and Stedwick Elementary School.

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