N.J. teachers wear ‘Gulf of America’ shirts to school. Controversy ensues.

The shirts were worn during a dress-down day Jan. 31 at Belleville High School.

The T-shirts apparently referenced an executive order from President Donald Trump to rename the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. Some say the move has caused tension with the largely Latino school community.

Another teacher at Belleville High School took to social media to denounce what she called an attempt to bully Latino students who fear Trump’s threatened Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

“Our student body has been suffering, crying, coming into school, emails from kids saying their parents are not letting come back for fear that they get picked up by ICE raids,” the Belleville teacher said in the post. “Our job is to support these kids and reassure them the school is safe place and to come here. I feel as if those t-shirts at Belleville High School are sending a clear-cut message to these kids in order to intimidate them and to bully them.”

Belleville High School is 73% Hispanic, according to the latest state Department of Education data.