Kindergarten Teacher Tries to Report Student's Parents to ICE, Only to Learn the Tip Hotline Is Fake

Any parent would hope their child's teacher is focused on lessons, playground safety and helping students build a better future. What they would not expect is that same teacher picking up the phone to try to have a child's family deported.

Yet that is exactly what one US kindergarten teacher appeared to do after discovering that a student's parents were 'born in Honduras and El Salvador'. In a recorded call, the teacher calmly told an immigration hotline that she found the parents suspicious and should be removed from the country if illegal and that the child, a US-born citizen, should be left behind.

However, there is an unexpected twist. The number the teacher dialled was not an official US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tip line. Instead, it was a fake hotline created by a Nashville comedian as part of a satirical project that has inadvertently revealed how quickly some people are willing to report others for deportation.

The Truth Behind the Fake Hotline

The immigration hotline was created by Nashville comedian Ben Palmer, who set up the number alongside an official-looking website and language that closely resembles government reporting tools.

Palmer says the line receives roughly 100 calls a day from people attempting to report immigrants they believe should be deported.

Although he has repeatedly described the project as satire, many callers appear to believe they are contacting an official government service.

Palmer later shared the call involving the kindergarten teacher, highlighting what he said was an example of how far some individuals are willing to go when they believe they are reporting immigration violations.

According to Palmer, the teacher did not learn about the parents' background through rumours or conversations at the school. Instead, she allegedly accessed school records to confirm her suspicions about the student's family before making the call.

Disturbing Exchange Revealed in Recording

The recording has unsettled many listeners not only because the teacher appeared willing to report the parents, but also because she seemed unconcerned about what might happen to the child if the family were separated.

'So now you wanna get [the student's] parents deported?' Palmer asks in the call.

'Well, I'm just saying, if they're taking up resources from our county,' the woman replies. 'I'm not into illegal people being here,' she adds with a chuckle.

When Palmer later tells the teacher that the parents are actually documented citizens, she does not appear relieved.

'That little fella could have been a threat to our national security,' Palmer jokes.

'Why are you talking to me like this?' the teacher asks. When Palmer appears confused, she clarifies: 'Like, you're sarcastic.'

Palmer responds that she should be glad the people she reported are legally in the country.

'You'd think you'd just be happy that the people you reported are actually here legally and that they belong, just like you and me,' he says.

The teacher then asks to speak to a supervisor.

Legal Questions Raised Over School Records

The incident has also raised questions about whether the teacher broke any laws by accessing the student's school records before making the call.

According to the US Department of Education, educators may in certain circumstances disclose personally identifiable information (PII) without obtaining consent from a student or their parents.

However, the justification for such disclosure is limited. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), schools may share PII in situations where a student has been disciplined for conduct and poses a significant risk to the safety of the school community.

Whether the teacher's alleged actions would meet that threshold remains unclear. According to reports, The Washington Post contacted the kindergarten teacher for comment, but she declined to respond.