Lateef addressed attendees at a town hall meeting on Thursday, February 27, 2024, at Battlefield High School near Haymarket, vowing to resist federal pressure to close the school division’s DEI office. His remarks were met with a standing ovation.
“Tomorrow, [President Trump] has said that any school division that doesn’t close their DEI office, we’ll cut federal funding. Well folks, tomorrow we will proceed as usual and I’ll see him in court. He’s coming after our immigrant kids. You’re sitting in the 10th most diverse county in all of America. So when you come after our children on ICE raids, we will see you in court.”