If fear and uncertainty are part of the goals around the activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the first weeks of the second Trump administration, mark another success Tuesday at 23rd Ave’s Garfield High School.

“There is a rumor that ICE will be on campus tomorrow, February 11. According to our District Enrollment Office, this is not true.” Principal Tarance Hart said in an email to students Monday. “A Student and Exchange Visitor Program representative will visit for a brief compliance check to confirm that Garfield High School is meeting the requirements for enrolling international students on F-1 visas.”

“This is a routine visit approved by district leadership and is not related to immigration enforcement,” Hart said in the message.

UPDATE 5:45 PM: A district spokesperson tells CHS Garfield’s inspection has been “rescheduled for the fall.” The spokesperson said there are currently no other scheduled campus visits in the district. According to Seattle Public Schools, the SEVP visits occur annually as “SEVP representatives, along with district staff visit up to three comprehensive high schools” in the city. The last time Garfield was included in a SEVP inspection was 2017.

Principal Hart’s email Monday came as word spread to start the week with students and families at the large public high school serving the city’s Central District and Capitol Hill-area neighborhoods sharing concerns about the rumored inspection. Despite the assurances, a Garfield teacher reportedly offered up their classroom as sanctuary to any students in need.

The concern at Garfield comes in the midst of President Donald Trump’s blitz of executive orders including ten related to immigration that have created chaos around the federal government even as the most significant orders remain tied up in court.

Like so many of 2025’s twists and turns, the official message at Garfield is confusing. ICE may not be at the school — but the Student and Exchange Visitor Program is, indeed, an ICE program under the Department of Homeland Security.

SEVP inspections can be routine — though we have reached out to the district and the ICE Seattle field office to learn more about how often they occur and when. “SEVP collects, maintains, analyzes and provides information so only legitimate foreign students or exchange visitors gain entry to the United States,” ICE says about the program. The program’s visits have typically been related to working with schools to maintain accurate records of their international students to comply with federal laws.

“During the site visit, the inspector will gather evidence on school eligibility for certification, review the facilities and interview personnel nominated on the petition to become designated school officials, known as DSOs, including the person nominated to be principal designated school official, known as PDSOs,” the SEVP documentation reads.

Most routine visits are triggered by the school or district applying to be part of the program or updating an application.

We’ve asked the Seattle ICE office for more information about the SEVP visit to Garfield.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Seattle field office has been contributing to the department’s “The Worst First” social media campaign

Meanwhile, the worries about the situation are the latest in the mix of raids, deportation, and bluster that has fueled attention around ICE. Despite social media feeds filled with pictures and videos of raids and arrests including a handful in Seattle and Washington, Trump and officials are reportedly frustrated that ICE has been unable to reach the administration’s deportation quotas.

In his message to the campus, Principal Hart said the school was ready for any ICE attempts at enforcement at Garfield. “While ICE is not visiting tomorrow, if they were to come for enforcement purposes, the school would follow Seattle Public Schools’ established protocols:
– ICE would not be granted immediate access to the school unless they present a valid, judge-signed warrant,” Hart wrote.

“School leadership would be immediately notified, and an administrator would take the lead in responding,” and “any legal documents presented would be sent to SPS General Counsel for review.”

Hart also promised “student information would not be shared” — “FERPA protects student records and prohibits disclosure without proper legal authorization.”

“Unauthorized entry will be treated as a security concern and reported to SPS Security,” the message concludes.

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