FAYETTEVILLE, Ark - Ilo Thursday January 15 raan eo, ri-jikuuḷ ro jān kilaaj 4 eo ilo Bentonville TREC Center for Gifted Education eo kar likjab ilo aer bōkḷọk er ñan opij eo an ICE im Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) eo ilo Fayetteville, ilo juon tōre eo eṃōj kar karōk e bwe ren kōṃṃane field trip eo aer ie.
Ri-jikuuḷ rein renaaj kar aikuj etal ñan Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) opij eo, ekkar ñan ri-tōl rein an jikuuḷ. HSI im ERO rej ṃōttan wōt opij ko im ra kein an ICE.
Ilo Jadede eo, ālkin jet pija in bus kein waan ri jikuuḷ rein an Bentonville kar ajeeded ilo social media ke rej pād im park iṃaan opij in an ERO, Superintendent eo an jikuuḷ in Debbie Jones kar ba ilo juon an email ḷọk ñan jinen im jemān ri-jikuuḷ rein jān kilaaj 4 bwe ebōd ijo kar bōkḷọk ri-jikuuḷ rein ñane. “Barāinwōt bus driver rein kab ri-kaki rein rar jab jeḷā bwe ebōd ijo rar iḷọk ñane. Ālkin aer kar jeḷā ke ijin ejjab opij eo ren kar iḷọk ñane, raar ṃōkaj im bōkḷọk er ñan ijo ejiṃwe im ren kar jibadekḷọk. Ilo tōre eo ri-jikuuḷ rein rar jab lo jabdewōt jerbal ko ijo im barāinwōt jab raar jab tour e ijin eo im ej jikin jerbal an ICE.”
Ri-jerbal ro jān ERO opij in raar jiroñ ḷọk Arkansas GRITA opij eo ilo Friday eo bwe ri-jikuuḷ rein kar bōkḷọk er ñan ijin raar pād wōt ijin im kōttar an bus ko rọọl ḷọk.
Ilo kar juon email Jones eaar ba bwe field trip in ej ṃōttan wōt forensics educational unit eo and ri jikuuḷ in TREC (jikin ekkatak im teej ko rej kōjerbali ilo etale juon crime āinwōt kabbōk fingerprint, lali kakōlkōl ko ilo bōtōktōk ko im DNA ko). Im kōnke ejja ṃōttan wōt unit in, eaar ba ilo email in an bwe raar kwaḷọk ñan er jet wāwein ko reppen jān agent rein an HSI āinwōt “thermal imaging camera ko (kein jerbal ko ñan lale okmāāṇāṇ eo ej diwōj tok jān juon men) eo eḷap an aorōk im wōr tōkjān ñan search im rescue im monitor e menin mour ko rawia), audio wire ko, im night vision goggle ko (kein jerbal ko rej kōjerbali ilo boñ ñan ijoko remarok ko im ro ilo jikin tariṇae ko rej kōjerbali.)” Arkansas GRITA (Grassroots initiative for Transparency and Accountability) (naan in grita ilo kajin spanish meḷeḷein laṃōj ak kōkeilọk) raar kajjitōk ḷọk kōn bar jet comment ak kōnono ko jān jikuuḷ in an Bentonville. Email kein an Jones rej waḷọk aolepāer ilo jeṃḷọkin article in.
ERO ej department eo ilo DHS eo im ej bōk eddoin kalbuuj im kōrọọl ri likin ro. HSI ej lukkun jikin jerbal in etale ko an DHS. Building in an ERO im kar bōd aer bōkḷọk ri-jikuuḷ rein ñane, ej jikin eo im rej likūt ri likin rein ṃokta jān aer bōkḷọk er ñan jikin kalbuuj eo ilo Louisiana. Ilo tōre in ejjab lukkun alikkar building ta eo an HSI field trip in en kar iḷọk ñane. Google map ej kalikkar bwe building in an ERO ej ṃōttan wōt opij kein an department eo an homeland security. DHS ej federal Cabinet agency eo im ICE ej jerbal iuṃwin. Location in ak jikin in ej kalikkar e ilo webjait eo an ICE bwe ej an ERO.
Juon ri-jikuuḷ eaar jiroñḷọk ḷọk jinen bwe ebōd ijo rar bōkḷọk er ñane im raar pād im kōttar ilo lobby eo an ERO ñan aer kōmāāṇāṇ im kōttar an bus kein jeplaak ḷọk.
Itulik in kōjem kein an opij in an ERO eṃōj likūt jet flyer ko im rej kwaḷọk im rujañ aṃ volunteer in deport ak rọọl ñan ijo jikuṃ. Ilo kōjjeḷā kein eṃōj likūt kajjitōk kein “Kwoj kōnan ke jeplaak ñan ijo jikuṃ?” “Kwoj kōnan ke bar jeplaak tok ilo jejjōt im jiṃwe?”Im “Bōk juon aṃ form im kōjerbal app eo ñan jeplaak ak rọọl ñan ijo jikuṃ.”
Flyers on the door of the ICE ERO office in Fayetteville. (Staff photo)
Field trip kein an forensic rej ṃōttan wōt off-site field trip ko an TREC program ko eto aer kōṃṃani ilo kajojo iiō. Juon ri kaki jān Bentonville Public School eo, eo ejjab kōnan kwaḷọk wōn e, eaar kwaḷọk bwe aolep ri-jikuuḷ ro ilo filed trip in rej ri likin (immigrants).
“Jej juon jukjukin pād eo eobrak kōn elōñ ri likin ro im elōñ rej jān jikuuḷ eo aō im eḷap aō ekkil ñe renaaj kōrọọl er,”ri kaki in eaar ba. “Ebwe aō inepata kōn ri-jikuuḷ rein rar iḷọk ilo field trip in.”
“Ilo aer bōkḷọk ajri rein ñan ijo im ri jerbal ro an ICE rej jerbal ie raan otemjej, ej juon wāwein eo elikjab im e bōktok eḷap inepata ñan elōñ baaṃle ko.” Ekkar ñan Irvin Camacho, co-founder eo an Alliance of Immigrant Respect and Educaton. “Ej ba, ij kōjatdikdik bwe ilju im jekḷaj enaaj ḷapḷọk ad kōlmenḷọkjen im kōtmāne kōn jet jikin ko ñan an ri jikuuḷ rein kōṃṃani ṃakūtkūt im jerbal in forensic kein aer ilo jet jikin ko reṃṃan im rejejet im eḷap rejetaki bwe en ejjeḷọk illu im inepata.
Ilo iiō in jikuuḷ kein 2025-2026, Bentonville Public Schools demographic eo ej kemlet im kwaḷọk bwe ewōr 66% Caucasian ro, 11% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 5% ruo ak elōñ ḷọk laḷ ko jet, 3% African American, 1% Native American, im enañin 1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ro. School district eo an Bentonville ej ripoot bwe ri jikuuḷ rein rej itok jān 95 laḷ im 71 kajojo kajin.
Translation courtesy of Chikin Melele: Marshallese News from Arkansas. An audio version of the story is available on their website.