HOUSTON — Houston's Police Chief Art Acevedo is outspoken willing to speak up he says, especially when it concerns public safety and the well being of Houston's children.
"You just got to keep telling people you can't steal your child's future," said Acevedo.
A tweet sent Tuesday night by Acevedo in Spanish was directed at Houston's Latino community urging them to not let fear over their immigration status keep them from enrolling their children in Houston schools.
"There is palatable fear of if I let my kids go to school are they going to be okay, or ... will my kids be okay, or ... if I let my kids go to school, I may get picked up and they may come home to an empty house," said Acevedo.
There is concern of a declining enrollment of Hispanic students over immigration fears, Acevedo says based on his conversations with leaders in education last week.
HPD's already seen crime go unreported in the Hispanic community, but he doesn't want to see those same fears impact children's education.
"I believe it's important for me to reassure families that schools are safe zones for everyone," said Acevedo. "The only ones that need to be afraid in schools are criminals, drug dealers, not young people just trying to get an education."
Acevedo reiterated he received guarantees from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the safety of schools during a meeting 18 months ago.
"ICE made it clear they will not be coming to schools, that they will stay away from schools," said Acevedo."So please, parents, students, stay in school. It's key."
The area's largest school district, HISD, did not have this year's enrollment numbers readily available, but it has and remains committed to protecting its students. This school year, the district going as far as including new specific language in the code of conduct.
In a new statement, HISD says: "In line with the commitment expressed by both HISD’s Board of Education and the Superintendent, our goal is to educate every child who walks through our doors – regardless of their immigration status. In particular, it is not our practice or policy to initiate contact with law enforcement regarding any student’s immigration status. At HISD, we believe all children deserve access to a world-class education – with no exceptions."
Despite the constant messaging, Acevedo worries it's not getting across.
"It's important for all families to know that schools are truly safe zones for everyone including undocumented children," said Acevedo.
Chief Acevedo says in the long run keeping kids in schools keeps them out of trouble, which in turn makes our city safer.