Six federal agents from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were observed on Wednesday at the San José Diridon Station located approximately two miles west of the San José State campus.
In the late afternoon at 3:45 p.m., the Rapid Response Network in Santa Clara County reported the sighting on the organization’s Instagram account, according to a Rapid Response Network Instagram post.
Rapid Response Network reported that the agents were conducting security training with the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff in preparation for Super Bowl LX, according to the Instagram post.
The Spartan Daily reached out to the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff, but did not receive a comment in time for publication.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, said there is no plan for the Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agency to be in attendance at the upcoming Super Bowl, according to an Oct. 3 White House press briefing.
“As far as ICE being at the Super Bowl, as far as I’m aware there’s no tangible plan for that in store right now,” Leavitt said. “However, of course this administration is always going to arrest and deport illegal immigrants when we find them if they are criminals. We’re going to do the right thing by our country.”
DHS agents circled the Diridon Station twice, walking into the station, through the underground walkways and onto Valley Transport Authority and Caltrain platforms.
Three agents remained at the north entrance of the tracks near the entrances of the underground tunnel, while three agents patrolled the south entrance.
The Spartan Daily reporter on the scene lost sight of the agents in the area around 5:00 p.m.
Oscar Villa Cornejo, a first-year stem cell biology master’s student, said it’s funny that Homeland Security is practicing for the Super Bowl.
“I think it’s kind of funny or just stupid,” Villa Cornejo said. “There’s really no need for there to be extra stuff going on if it’s something that’s been happening for many years.”
There has been a 20-year-long partnership between DHS and the National Football League (NFL), according to a Feb. 3 Homeland Security news release. Homeland Security uses the Special Event Assessment Rating, where events are voluntarily submitted to DHS’s Office of Operations Coordination for risk assessment, according to a DHS fact sheet.
There are five ratings that an event will receive, with “Level 1” categorizing it as a significant event that would require extensive federal support, according to the same fact sheet.
Sahithi Chikkela, a second-year software engineering student, said she feels that this was a good practice.
“I think it’s a good practice for them to look around and keep us safe,” Chikkela said.
As of publication, DHS has not released a Special Event Assessment Rating.
