Students say they felt targeted after women threatened to call ICE during a Houston high school volleyball game. HISD says it’s reviewing the incident.
HOUSTON — State and local leaders are calling for action after two women were caught on camera threatening to call immigration authorities on students during a high school volleyball game in Houston.
The confrontation happened last week during a game between Austin High School and Kashmere High School. A parent recorded the incident, and videos of the confrontation have since gone viral on social media, with one receiving more than 8 million views.
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In one video, a woman can be heard yelling, “We going to call ICE on your parents.”
Students who witnessed the confrontation told KHOU 11 they were caught off guard by the comments and felt uncomfortable and targeted.
Elected officials condemn comments
State Rep. Cristina Morales condemned the women’s behavior, saying the comments went beyond typical exchanges between spectators at a sporting event.
“It is not trash talk. That’s a threat aimed at a child,” Morales said, explaining that the comments suggested a student’s family could be taken away.
State Rep. Jolanda Jones also spoke out, calling for accountability and urging members of the community to stand against racism.
“The racism there has to be called out,” Jones said.
Community leaders and advocates from Houston’s Black and Latino communities joined the elected officials in condemning the incident and calling for unity.
Morales also urged Houston ISD to publicly address what happened and explain what steps the district plans to take.
“HISD, you need to speak up,” Morales said.
Students say incident left them feeling unsafe
Several students who were at the game spoke with KHOU 11 but did not want to appear on camera.
They said the comments left them shaken and questioning whether enough was done to protect them.
“It didn’t feel right seeing another Hispanic being treated like that,” student Brandon Ramirez said, referring to concerns about immigration enforcement.
Another student said schools should be places where young people feel safe, not threatened.
“It’s a school. You’re there to learn,” the student said, expressing concern about someone threatening to call ICE on students.
Students also questioned why more adults did not intervene during the confrontation.
Some said they did not see teachers or police officers step in to stop the women from making the comments.
Students told KHOU 11 that the school’s principal recorded a statement addressing the incident but later deleted it. They said the situation left them feeling as though their concerns were not being heard.
Some students said that even though they are in the country legally, the confrontation heightened their fears of racial profiling.
Houston ISD responds
In a statement to KHOU 11, Houston ISD confirmed it was aware of an incident involving spectators during a recent volleyball game between Austin High School and Kashmere High School.
The district said administrators intervened during the event and that officials are continuing to review what happened.
“HISD takes concerns about inappropriate, threatening, or intimidating behavior seriously,” the district said. “Such behavior has no place at our schools or school-sponsored events.”
Despite the district’s response, students told KHOU 11 they believe more should have been done at the time of the confrontation.
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