Nash County Public Schools warns parents of fake ICE message causing panic

Nash County Public Schools is warning parents about a fraudulent message causing fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could pull children from classrooms in the county's school district.
Posted 2/4/2025, 10:14:00 PM Updated 2/5/2025, 10:04:30 AM

DEVELOPS WITH FUTURECAST COMING

UP IN LESS THAN 15 MINUTES.

ALL RIGHT, MIKE,

THANK YOU. A MESSAGE SENT TO

PARENTS CAUSED PANIC IN NASH

COUNTY YESTERDAY.

>> THE MESSAGE APPEARS TO BE

SET BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

WARNING ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND

CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT RATING

SCHOOLS. THE DISTRICT SAYS THE

MESSAGE IS A FAKE AND IS

INVESTIGATING WHERE IT CAME

FROM. WRAL'S. HEIDI KIRK SPOKE

WITH PARENTS WHO WALKED US

THROUGH WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO

SEE THIS IN THEIR INBOX.

>> AFTER US ON PULLED OUT HER

PHONE TO SHOW US TO MESSAGES

SHE RECEIVED ON MONDAY. THE

FIRST A FAKE MESSAGE FROM AN

EMAIL ADDRESS POSING TO BE A

NASH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WARNING PARENTS ABOUT ICE RAIDS

AND ANOTHER FROM THE SCHOOL

DISTRICT LETTING HER KNOW THE

FIRST MESSAGE WAS FAKE. THIS IS

KIND OF SCARY FOR ANY PARENT TO

RECEIVE THIS FOR HER. IT FEELS

PERSONAL EVEN TARGETED AS SHE

HERSELF IS AN IMMIGRANT.

I CAME HERE TONIGHT TO 24 YEARS

AGO AND I HAVE.

>> I WORK IN MY CITIZENSHIP AND

IT JUST MADE ME THINK OF A LOT

OF PEOPLE. I KNOW THEY'RE

TRYING TO GET THEIR CITIZENSHIP

AND HOW THIS IS GOING TO

IMPACT.

>> THEIR CHILDREN, EDUCATION

HASSAN CALLS IT NOT ONLY

UPSETTING, BUT ALSO DISRUPTIVE.

IT IS KIND OF IT DISTRACTING

FOR A PARENT THAT WAS TRYING

TO WORK. AND MANY THINK THE

NASH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAYS

THEY'RE LOOKING INTO THE SOURCE

OF THESE MESSAGES IN

CONJUNCTION WITH THE NASH

COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

WE REACHED OUT TO THE SHERIFF

WHO SAID THAT THE PERSON WHO

SENT THESE COULD FACE CHARGES

ANYTIME THAT IS DISRUPTING THE

AMERICAN PEOPLE AND DOING

THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

>> THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES

WITH THAT. AND ALSO A LOT OF

TIMES THIS OTHER SCHOOL

CHILDREN DOING THIS. SHERIFF

STONE ALSO ASSURED US NO

WIDESPREAD ICE RAIDS ARE

HAPPENING IN NASH COUNTY.

STILL, IT HAS EVEN KIDS ON

EDGE. EVEN THOSE WHO ARE

AMERICAN CITIZENS BUT MAY HAVE

IMMIGRANT PARENTS LIKE HASSAN

WHEN MY SON OR MY DAUGHTER,

WHOEVER COMES TO ME AND THIS IS

SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

>> I REMIND THEM THAT THERE

ARE AMERICAN FIRST OF ALL AND

SAID THIS IS YOUR COUNTRY AND

YOU SHOULD NOT FEEL THAT WAY.

IT KIRK, WRAL, NEWS NASH

COUNTY.

>> THIS COMES JUST ONE DAY

AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA POST IN

EDGECOMBE COUNTY WITH A SIMILAR

MESSAGE.

>> CAUSED CONCERN AMONG

© WRAL