{"id":211753,"date":"2026-03-19T18:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/211753\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T18:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:23:08","slug":"border-patrol-appearance-at-san-antonio-high-school-sparks-student-outrage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/211753\/","title":{"rendered":"Border Patrol appearance at San Antonio high school sparks student outrage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A Border Patrol agent sits in a classroom at San Antonio\u2019s Brennan High School on Feb. 27. Credit: Courtesy of San Antonio Students for Peace<\/p>\n

Late last month, students at William J. Brennan High School were confronted with the presence of multiple Customs and Border Patrol agents in full uniform, walking the halls and talking to students and staff. <\/p>\n

The agents\u2019 appearance on campus came amid growing public anger and concern<\/a> over the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive immigration crackdown. It also took place as the Department of Homeland Security ramps up recruiting efforts for new immigration-enforcement agents. <\/p>\n

Border Patrol personnel came to Brennan on Friday, Feb. 27, as part of the school\u2019s efforts to support state College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) initiatives, Northside ISD officials said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Border Patrol was represented \u2014 as I understand they have been in the past \u2014 along with other session presenters,\u201d NISD Assistant Superintendent for Communications Barry Perez told the Current via email. \u201cThis was not a recruiting event \u2014 it was a career fair event. The school\u2019s intent was to provide a broad range of career sessions, never to make anyone feel unwelcome or unsafe.\u201d <\/p>\n

When asked whether parents were informed of the presence of CBP officers on campus, Perez said he didn\u2019t have that information. <\/p>\n

As word of the Border Patrol visit spread, a concerned student reached out to activist organization San Antonio Students for Peace (SASP), which promptly posted a video response to the situation. <\/p>\n

\u201cBorder Patrol agents do not belong in classrooms,\u201d Claire Lewis, the director of the student-led SASP.<\/p>\n

She said the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive deportations using Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel have created a climate of fear. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe student that sent us this picture was very concerned. They didn\u2019t even know why [agents] were there,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWhether they\u2019ve had an interaction with ICE before, whether they\u2019ve seen it on the news or it\u2019s personal to their family, it is putting them at risk of retraumatization and really making them fearful and confused as to why they are even there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an email to Michelle Craig, Brennan\u2019s academic dean, Lewis excoriated the school\u2019s lack of sensitivity to the current political climate. The message mentioned Brennan students\u2019 participation in a Jan. 23 school walkout<\/a> alongside other NISD campuses to protest the White House\u2019s immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllowing Border Control into a learning environment is completely inappropriate and tone deaf considering the time that we are in, as if the walkouts were not a clear enough message,\u201d Lewis said. <\/p>\n

Student concern over the Border Patrol visit prompted Brennan Principal John Trimble to release a statement addressing the agency\u2019s presence. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile our intent was to provide a broad range of options for College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR), I recognize that in our current climate, this visit caused genuine unease,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Beyond the effect the visit had on students mental health, Lewis accused CBP and ICE of engaging in predatory tactics to enlist young recruits who are from lower economic status or face financial hardships. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we have seen military groups and certain law enforcement really prey on the most vulnerable who really need the benefits,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

As the Trump administration strives to accelerate mass deportations, CBP has rolled out incentives for new recruits including $10,000 sign-on bonuses and other financial perks capped at $60,000, according to the agency\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m assuming that schools see Border Patrol the same as the military and police, which I personally see as very tone deaf in the time that we are in. Students do not see them as the same, and I don\u2019t think they should be treated as the same,\u201d Lewis added. \u201cI\u2019m really looking to get more answers as to who made this decision, because I\u2019m sure this is happening in other schools and we just don\u2019t know yet, and I think this is definitely something that needs to be approached and talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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