A school in Northern California has put a student teacher on leave after she publicly praised ICE in a Facebook comment, following a backlash from local residents who threatened her safety.
Sarai Jimenez, who is an intern in special education at Maquidy Elementary School in Watsonville, expressed her support for ICE operations in the area in a social media post last month.
“Yay!! Watsonville needs ICE!! It’s getting out of hand,” she commented.
The controversy escalated after ICE arrested a resident of Watsonville. Reports indicate that this triggered heated reactions within the community.
In the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, where a significant majority of students are Latino, parents voiced their anger at Jimenez’s stance on ICE.
“You can’t just tell the world how you feel and not expect an impact on how people feel about ICE,” local parent Jorge Guerrero remarked.
Following her comments, Jimenez faced a wave of hostility online, including messages that were threatening in nature. One message even warned of damaging a tire.
Another individual who expressed their outrage claimed they would report her to the school, stating, “you never know what immigrant parents do to their children behind closed doors” and labeled her as “a disgraceful, disgraceful disgusting woman.”
In response, Jimenez reflected, “I regret that the comment was taken out of context. But my actions speak far louder than the words of hateful bullies.”
Principal Sarah Pearman of MacQuidy Elementary stated that Jimenez’s comments do not align with the school’s or district’s values and informed the family that they would seek a long-term substitute for her position.
