by After being confronted by community patrols, two unmarked cars driven by immigration authorities departed the Herbert Ibarra Elementary School parking area on Friday.
In a statement to families, Valerie Jurado, the principal of the school, admitted that the assumption caused anxiety but claimed she had no information of any connection between the vehicles and Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other government agency.
Jurado stated, “We recognize the unnerving nature of this report and we support our community’s desire for ALL of our students to be in a safe learning environment.” Our staff and teachers are always available to help our pupils and make sure that the day is peaceful and educational.
While acknowledging that the cars in the video were operated by ICE officers, Patrick Divver, field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Diego, stated that the officers were not present for an operation involving the school.
ICE never carried out any enforcement actions on school property, and no officer ever got out of their car while briefly in the parking lot. “Any indication to the contrary is wholly untrue,” he told City News Service. When activists started harassing our officers, ICE San Diego officers were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation in the City Heights neighborhood. The police consequently pulled into the first parking lot that became available.
He continued by criticizing the spectators, claiming that activists’ meddling in law enforcement activities puts our police, the community, and themselves at needless risk.
He went on to say that such acts make it more difficult for us to get rid of people who harm public safety and spread false information that puts everyone at risk.
At approximately 6:40 a.m. on Friday, members of the Association of Raza Educators, Union del Barrio, and San Diego Self-Defense Coalition responded to reports of the vehicles near the school, which is west of Colina del Sol Park, by yelling warnings to the local community about a possible immigration action.
The organizations intended to denounce ICE’s activity at schools by holding a press conference outside the school.
According to a joint statement from the activist groups, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has consistently stated that they are not carrying out immigration enforcement operations on school property, and today’s activities go counter to their claims. Families with school-aged children are being targeted in and around school facilities, and we denounce the terror campaign that has been launched in migrant working-class neighborhoods.
Jurado cautioned parents in her statement that ICE personnel cannot enter the campus without a signed warrant. Regardless of immigration status, the San Diego Unified School District provides a dedicated portal that explains the rights of students and families.
According to Jurado, there is currently no sign of any enforcement activity on our school, and all employees and students are safe.
Recent events close to public school campuses have the campaigners on high alert.
On his way to work on Wednesday, ICE arrested a man near Park Dale Lane Elementary School in Encinitas.
Officials from the Encinitas Union School District attested to the fact that the man’s daughter attends the school.
In a letter to families, district officials expressed their shock and distress over the incident and its effects on children and families.
However, an unnamed DHS officer said in a written statement on Thursday that the arrest happened several streets away from Park Dale Elementary School and completely out of sight of it.
According to ICE, the apprehended individual was from Guatemala and had been subject to an immigration judge’s order of removal since 2017.
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According to the ICE statement, his spouse showed up at the scene of the arrest with a little child and then involved herself and the child in the incident.
Two additional parents were detained by ICE earlier this month, first outside Chula Vista’s Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School and later close to another SDUSD site, Linda Vista Elementary School.
Federal officials were seen approaching a car on the street in Chula Vista, according to cell phone footage taken by onlookers and shared online.
“We understand this may cause concern, and we want to reassure you that our schools remain safe spaces for all students,” wrote Eduardo Reyes, superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District, in response to the arrest.
At a press conference the day following the Linda Vista Elementary incident, SDUSD Superintendent Fabiola Bagula voiced worries about the school’s kids, who are between the ages of three and eleven. She described this as traumatic.
