You read that right. Students in Hamilton County schools are afraid to go to school because of tax payer funded mass deportations. Every parent and student in Hamilton County deserves a safe and welcoming place to call home, no matter where we were born.

Email the commissioners today to ask them what they are doing to make Hamilton County a safer, more welcoming place for ALL no matter where we were born. Local elected leaders can advocate to stop the cruel mass deportation pipeline at the state and federal level, they can use every tool available to them and their platforms to ensure that students in Hamilton County can thrive and experience a future without limits. When adult bullies come for kids? It's time to stand up to the bullies.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp ran on the campaign promise to:"strengthen public education and preserve the quality of life that makes Hamilton County special". But over the last few months, we have seen our communities disrupted and torn apart by the cruel mass deportation pipeline:

• A few short days after graduating from Ooltewah Highschool, in May of 2026, Daniel Garzon Romero was taken into ICE custody. Please support if you're able, and share the go fund me for Daniel's family, linked here.
  
  
• On May 9th, the Times Free Press reported that at the seven majority-Hispanic district schools, enrollment has dropped by an average of 58 students, 408 students total. Hamilton County School students afraid to go to class and already over burdened public education teachers are reeling from the impact of needing to support students who have lost parents to the mass deportation pipeline.

• Earlier this year, in February, at least 8 construction workers were pulled from a Greentech work site by federal immigration agents leaving Hamilton County School students without their parents.

• In February this year, Mrs G, owner of Mrs G’s Tortas was deported after living in Tennessee for 27 years, operating her business legally with proper permitting. This forced her family to sell the local business beloved by our community.

• In May of 2026, Buenas Dias Coffee in Rossville, GA (not in Hamilton County but in our small business/economy ecosystem) announced they were shuttering their doors because the owners mother is being deported and held in dangerous conditions in detention 5 hours away where the family needed to be near her to advocate for her during the deportation process.
• In April of 2026, we learned that Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, a man arrested in Chattanooga died in ICE custody in Louisiana.
  
  
• In March of 2026, the Japanese consulate sent a letter to Tennessee leadership with a warning around the immigrant hostile legislation being passed: "the freedom to be able to drive to the grocery store, drop the kids off at school, shop for household furnishings, and many other mundane chores of daily life is exceedingly important.."The impact of mass deportations and an environment hostile to immigrants is being felt throughout the state in our communities, but also by international partners like those in Japan, who have brought their business to Tennessee totaling to $2.1 billion dollars in investment, supporting 60,000 jobs across 200 facilities.

Is our quality of life being preserved when children in Hamilton County are scared to go to school or leave their house? Is our quality of life being preserved when international partners are warning us the state is too hostile to invest in and help drive economic development in our communities?

It is time for all local elected officials to let us know which side they are on: mass deportations that hurt our community? Or are they on the side of our community? How are our local elected officials advocating for our students in a time of fear, cruelty and blatant authoritarianism?

A local Hamilton County teacher told the Times Free Press: "I have seen directly so many of my students drop out due to the pressures from within themselves and their family to work and to support both themselves, their family here and some of their family members back in Guatemala," she said by phone. "They're battling legal fees, they're battling increases in housing and, at the same time, they don't feel completely safe moving from place to place within the city."

Local teachers also noted: "an increase in students' fears and anxieties around immigration: after the 2024 presidential election and as news about HB 793 spread around Chattanooga last spring." If local representatives are striking fear in the heart of students, that means other adults with decision making power to stand up to them.

Our County Commissioners were elected to represent us and our interests in our communities, no matter where we were born. We are ALL stakeholders who deserve a safe and welcoming place in Hamilton County. All Hamilton County elected officials need to answer the question: what are you doing to make Hamilton County a more welcoming space for ALL where children feel safe going to school?

Politicians always tell us their hands are tied, but what we know about Tennessee tenacity is that where there is a will. There is a way. It is the job of elected officials to find creative solutions to the issues our communities are facing. We cannot continue to accept non answers from those in charge and normalize kids being afraid to go to school while families are being ripped away from loved ones in Hamilton County.

What could Hamilton County local elected officials to do advocate against the mass deportations hurting Hamilton county communities?

• Make a public statement on social media, declaring how they are walking with their feet towards curbing and mitigating harmful mass deportation practices.
• Call all of the state house reps and senators in Hamilton county and urge them to oppose mass deportations and stop voting for bills that hurt our communities.
• Call all of the federal reps in Tennessee and urge them to oppose mass deportations.
• Urge sheriff Garrett to do the right thing and stop separating families