NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: Riley Gaines visits The Megyn Kelly Show at the SiriusXM Studios on May 20, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Riley Gaines criticized Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after he called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following an enforcement operation near an elementary school in Canton, Michigan. According to WXYZ Channel 7, El-Sayed shared a Detroit Free Press post about the October 20 incident on X, writing,
“Abolish ICE.”
Gaines subsequently shared El-Sayed’s post, arguing,
“I’d argue it’s nearly impossible to get more radical than this. They’re not advocating for reform. They want zero enforcement of our federal immigration and customs laws. They want total lawlessness.”
The exchange followed an incident in which ICE agents conducted what Canton police described as a “special enforcement” operation near Hulsing Elementary School. The activity prompted Plymouth-Canton Community Schools to place the school under a shelter-in-place order for more than an hour. Canton police and school officials said they had no advance knowledge of the operation and did not participate in it.
Canton police and school officials unaware of ICE operation that prompted elementary school lockdown
According to the Detroit Free Press, the shelter-in-place order took effect around 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 20, after Canton police learned about the enforcement activity. The order ended just over an hour later, when law enforcement determined that conditions were safe. Police reported that the incident concluded without further disruption. Canton Director of Police Services Joseph Bialy said,
“Upon receiving notification of the event, our police officers worked with the school to ensure students and staff were secured safely in their building.”
The department emphasized that neither local police nor Plymouth-Canton Community Schools had prior knowledge of or involvement in the federal operation, according to WXYZ Channel 7.
CBS News reported that authorities had not released further details about the enforcement activity. The ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Detroit Field Office could not be reached for comment as of Monday afternoon, according to the Detroit Free Press…