by A man who was arrested by ICE two days ago was accused of using an unlawful social security number, according to a federal official on Saturday.
When San Diego schools superintendent Fabiola Bagula conducted a news conference on Friday to comfort the community about the off-campus arrest, the public was informed about the arrest outside Linda Vista Elementary School.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security said in an emailed statement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement San Diego field office that the individual was an unauthorized immigrant who was using an American social security number fraudulently.
On Thursday, he pulled over in a parking lot and officers came up to him. According to her, ICE detained him and started the removal process.
Bagula’s remarks during her press conference contradict other aspects of McLaughlin’s speech.
“Accusations that ICE targeted Linda Vista Elementary School are FALSE,” reads the opening sentence of ICE’s statement. There was never ice on school property.
ICE personnel were not on campus, according to Bagula. She clarified that although the arrest did not take place on school property, it was close enough to our neighborhood to have an effect.
According to the superintendent, this indicates that the entire school community was affected. Additionally, she criticized ICE officers for wearing masks.
“Any accusations that ICE singled out an elementary school are contributing to the 1000% increase in assaults against our courageous ICE law enforcement,” McLaughlin said at the end of his remarks.
Although those figures are still up for debate, the estimates are rising quickly. According to Rolling Stone, federal officials stated in June that the number of suspected attacks of ICE personnel has increased by 500% since the year began. However, Homeland Security did not disclose the precise number of assaults in that study.
By July, the Trump administration accused Democrats at government agencies, including the White House, for a 700% increase in claimed assaults on ICE.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the number of immigration arrests has increased dramatically. Although the administration frequently claims that it is targeting the worst criminals, a recent report by the criminal justice-focused Marshall Project revealed that only about 12% of the immigrants deported between January and May had been found guilty of a violent or potentially violent crime.
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ICE has so far targeted public areas and workplaces where unauthorized workers are believed to congregate. The neighborhood surrounding schools may serve as a new front for immigration officials.
The ICE arrest in Linda Vista was the second in eight days at an elementary school in the San Diego region. A lady was arrested outside Chula Vista’s Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School on August 6.
She was detained after an immigration judge in 2022 ordered her to be deported in absentia, according to a statement from ICE.
That statement also stated unequivocally that the matter outside Camarena Elementary was handled quickly, safely, and off school property—without any slander or assault accusations.
