On the morning of August 20, federal law enforcement officers in Encinitas, Northern San Diego County, California, arrested a man accused by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of being an undocumented immigrant. The arrest took place just two blocks away from a local elementary school, and it came after two similar incidents where ICE detained individuals outside the school in the past two weeks, sparking strong community backlash.
Media reports indicate that around 7:30 a.m. that day, federal officers detained a parent of a student near the school. A video circulating online shows three federal agents pulling a man wearing fluorescent orange safety vest and work boots out of a pickup truck and escorting him into a black SUV.
According to ICE, the arrested man, identified as an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, had received a final deportation order from the U.S. in 2017. Encinitas Union School District Superintendent Andrée Grey confirmed in an email to district parents and staff that the arrest occurred a few blocks away from the school on the parent’s way to work.
Grey stated, “Some families, community members, staff, and students witnessed this event, causing fear and trauma throughout the district.”
She added, “As a district community, we are shocked and distressed by the impact of this event on children and families. EUSD firmly stands with every family in the community. Our primary mission is to ensure that the campus is a safe and friendly place for all children and families, regardless of their immigration status.”
In the online video, a woman presumed to be the man’s wife is seen carrying a young girl towards the officers’ SUV, but she is not allowed to approach. The video captures the girl’s cries.
California State Senator Catherine Blakespear condemned the ICE operation as “illegal” and “inhumane.”
Following the incident, Federal Congressman Mike Levin of the district where Encinitas is located expressed his concerns about the enforcement action, especially due to the involvement of a child witnessing the arrest.
The arrest incident stirred strong community opposition. Over 100 people attended the Encinitas City Council meeting that evening to voice their disapproval of ICE enforcement. The council voted to launch a “Know Your Rights” campaign in the city to educate people on how to respond to ICE arrests and discuss establishing “safe zones” near schools and churches.
Local educators and community groups, including unions and immigrant advocacy organizations, have started organizing “teacher patrols” near schools to monitor ICE enforcement activities and promptly inform parents while documenting related incidents to ensure community safety and ease fears.
This marks the third arrest of undocumented immigrants near schools within the past two weeks. Unlike the previous incidents involving parents driving children to or from school, ICE explained that this particular operation targeted a man commuting to work, which was confirmed by the school district’s statement.
The two previous ICE arrests near schools occurred during the morning as parents were dropping off their children at school and in the afternoon when parents were picking up their children after school.
On August 6 around 8:30 a.m., a Korean woman was arrested by ICE outside Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School in Chula Vista, Southern San Diego County, with her two children in the car. ICE disclosed that her visa had expired in 2017, and she was ordered for deportation by a San Diego immigration judge in July 2022 following a missed immigration court hearing.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, when the woman’s children were found in the car, enforcement officers allowed her to call her ex-husband. The children’s father arrived at the scene and took them home.
On August 14 around 3:10 p.m., just about five minutes before school dismissal, ICE apprehended a parent waiting in the car to pick up their child outside Linda Vista Elementary School in central San Diego City.
After the father’s detention, DHS contacted the school principal, who then got in touch with the child’s mother to come and pick up the child from school. The detained man, identified as a Mexican national residing in the U.S. illegally, was also accused of social security number fraud.