A group of Maui teachers were detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement early Tuesday morning.
Several of the teachers are from the Philippines. They had J-1 visas, which allows educators from other countries to teach in the U.S.
Hawaiʻi State Teacher Association President Osa Tui criticized the enforcement and explained that they are here to help fill the teacher shortage in Hawaiʻi.
“ There was no public apology for the harm that was done. We encourage our students to take their time and do their homework. As we've seen across the country and now here in our communities, our government is not doing their homework and doing sloppy work, which jeopardizes lives and the well-being of those who live here,” he said.
“ We're concerned that if this was a mistake, what other mistakes are being made or will be made affecting other innocent people?” Tui said.
One of the detained teachers, who is a U.S. citizen, told her story to reporters during a press briefing by the HSTA. She did not want to reveal her identity due to safety concerns.
She was held with 10 to 12 other teachers and their families who all live on the same property. She explained that she was still in bed when the agents pounded on her window with guns.
“They rushed us downstairs and by the time I had gotten to the front, there were teachers out there that had wet hair, half the teachers were dressed, half the teachers were not,” she said.
“There were people there with blankets on because they didn't have the appropriate time to put on clothing. I was really scared because it happened so quickly and I even asked if I could show them documentation or if they could show them documentation or if I could have time to just put a jacket on or something, and they wouldn't even allow me to do that.”
She said the agents had a search warrant and were looking for a man that lived at the house about a year ago.
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz condemned ICE's actions.
“This is racial profiling and a shameful abuse of power. We are a nation of laws, but the broad ICE raids this week are clearly designed just to instill fear,” he wrote in a statement.
