Rhode Island assistant principal sent email asking school staff to help pay immigrant's coyote fees

A Rhode Island high school’s assistant principal allegedly sent out an email asking staff at the school to send donations to pay ‘coyote’ fees to help smuggle them into the United States. 

‘Coyote’ fees are paid to people who help sneak immigrants into the United States to match the risk of illegally entering the country.

There was some dispute as to the veracity of the email – the school told the Daily Caller it was ‘fake’ and said they don’t have a student who is being human trafficked – but it appears to have been proven real by both the president of the teachers’ union and the principal, who sent out an email calling it ‘not appropriate.’

Maribeth Calabro, President of the Providence Teachers Union, told WPRO that she had confirmed the legitimacy of the email with members who teach at the high school.  

‘I was a little taken aback by the content,’ she said, ‘I engaged the district, I called leadership in the district and I said ‘hi folks, what’s going on here’ and they were aware and they said that when they were made aware they went into immediate investigatory mode and that once the investigation was concluded that there would be correspondence.’

Calabro said that some of her members thought it was a scam to try and trick members out of their social security money and said her members were ‘concerned.’

Tiffany Delaney, Mount Pleasant High School Principal, both confirmed and condemned the email Friday in a letter to staff. 

‘I appreciate the faculty and staff contributing to a cause that supports a student, but the nature of the request is not appropriate,’ she wrote. 

Source of data and images: dailymail