A parent waiting nearby to pick up his child from Linda Vista Elementary School was arrested Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, school officials said.
The arrest occurred days after the start of the school year, and a week after another parent — who an immigration judge had ordered deportation in absentia — was taken into custody by federal immigration agents outside an elementary school in Chula Vista during morning drop-off.
Immigration enforcement arrests have increased locally within the first months of the Trump administration. One of the administration’s first actions was to rescind Biden-era guidance that restricted immigration enforcement operations “in or near” certain protected places, including schools.
Families and officials alike said such enforcement actions during school drop-off or pickup can send fear through the community.
“This did just not happen to one household. It happened to an entire school community,” San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Fabiola Bagula said Friday at a news conference outside the school. “It left children, families and staff, with questions and fears that no one, especially our youngest learners, should have to carry.”
Thursday’s arrest happened about 3:10 p.m., just before school dismissal, as the man waited in a line of cars near the campus, school officials said. Other families were present, but not students, officials added.
On Saturday, Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, said in a statement that ICE did not target the school, and that the arrest did not took place on school grounds.
She said the operation was targeting a man originally from Mexico who was “fraudulently using an American’s social security number.”
McLaughlin said officers approached the man after he pulled over in a parking lot. He was arrested and placed in removal proceedings, she added.
“Any smears that ICE targeted an elementary school are contributing to the 1000% increase in assaults against our brave ICE law enforcement.”
Homeland Security officials called the school’s principal, Miriam Atlas, following the arrest. She then informed the child’s mother of the situation, Bagula said.
“We have added counselors and district staff at the school today because the ripple effects of an incident like this extend far beyond the moment itself,” Bagula said. “They live in the stories that children will tell for the rest of their lives, in the questions they ask and in the worry that they carry home.”
Sabrina Bazzo, a trustee on the San Diego Unified School District board, referred to the incident as “unacceptable.”
“How do we expect our students to stay focused on learning when they have to worry about their parents and family members not feeling safe right outside this door,” she said.
Bazzo said she had heard that some parents had started organizing to pick up other students in case their parents felt uncomfortable about coming to school.
While dropping off their children at school Friday, some shared concerns about such enforcement near schools.
The mother of a first-grade student, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions, said she learned of the arrest on social media. “I’m afraid. I don’t know what might happen,” she said in Spanish. “The situation is worrying.”
Another mother, who walked her two children to school, said they have told her they are afraid. She also asked not to be identified out of fear for her safety.
Her 10-year-old daughter said that she fears for her family. “This has really changed my life,” she said. “I used to come to school feeling calm, knowing my mom would pick me up every day. Now, with everything that’s happening, I’m worried she won’t come back for me. It’s not just me; other children are worried, too.”
In a letter to parents on Thursday, Principal Miriam Atlas stressed that “school grounds are safe spaces that cannot be accessed by ICE without a proper, signed warrant.”
“We have reiterated our policies and protocols to all staff to ensure everyone understands these critical guidelines. In California, schools cannot ask about immigration status during enrollment or share student records without parental consent or a court order,” the letter reads.
Atlas said they were working with school agencies to make sure the affected family had access to the resources they needed.
In December, the San Diego Unified School District passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to being a “welcoming district” for all students. Their actions included informing the school community about their rights and creating a new website with resources and additional information.
Honduran national Denis Guillen-Solis reportedly sought refuge in an Ontario, California, Surgery Center, evading law enforcement authorities. Staff allegedly obstructed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation seeking his arrest, leading to the detention of a staff member, while another remains at large. The incident has since triggered legal actions against the staff allegedly involved in interfering with federal officers.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, “This story is another example of a false narrative peddled by irresponsible members of the media in furtherance of a political agenda to delegitimize federal agents. The illegal alien arrested inside the medical center was not a patient and was not in any way affiliated with that location. He ran inside for cover and these medical workers attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents.”
Essayli added, “To be very clear, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you work, if you assault our agents or otherwise interfere with our operations, you will be arrested and charged with a federal crime.”
Criminal warrants were issued for Jose De Jesus Ortega and Danielle Nadine Davila on charges of forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal officer.
Clinic staff reportedly locked doors, blocked law enforcement vehicles, and falsely reported a kidnapping. Davila allegedly physically confronted an ICE officer during the disruption.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated, “ICE officers conducted a targeted enforcement operation to arrest two illegal aliens. Officers in clearly marked ICE bulletproof vests approached the illegal alien targets as they exited a vehicle.”
California Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez called the ICE operation “devastating” for the community. She reaffirmed her commitment to integrity as federal authorities have addressed ongoing tensions in the region.
Rodriguez said, “It is devastating to watch the impact of ICE on our communities. This past Tuesday, Immigration Enforcement officers kidnapped constituents from a surgical center as they were doing their jobs.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/false-narrative-doj-addresses-operation-in-california/ar-AA1KDMYD
A coalition of immigrants and advocates has filed a class-action lawsuit in D.C. to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from arresting migrants at immigration court hearings. They argued these arrests, which have increased significantly in 2025, instill fear in asylum seekers and violate U.S. immigration law and the Fifth Amendment. Their complaint cites surprise arrests leading to family separations and heightened fear of persecution.
Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said, “The Trump administration is weaponizing immigration courts and chilling participation in the legal process.”
Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative Interim CEO Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano said, “The arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people.”
ICE often arrests individuals after deportation cases have been dismissed, enabling expedited deportations. Advocates alleged that the administration has used courts to intimidate participants in legal processes.
Gandhi-Abriano said, “Our friends, neighbors, and families are told to ‘do it the right way’ — to follow the legal process. They’re doing just that — showing up to court, complying with the law. Despite this, they’re being arrested and detained.”
National Immigrant Justice Center Director of Litigation Keren Zwick said, “We are witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. immigration court system by the Trump administration.”
Immigration officials have defended the actions as lawful, claiming those with credible fear have still been able to pursue their cases and that targeting court attendees has improved enforcement. Critics warned that the practices risk undermining due process rights.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, “We aren’t some medieval kingdom; there are no legal sanctuaries where you can hide and avoid the consequences for breaking the law.” She added, “The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense. It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lawsuit-targets-ice-arrests-at-court-hearings/ar-AA1KEhLx
A New Zealand woman and her six-year-old son have finally been released from U.S. custody after spending nearly four weeks in immigration detention over a visa paperwork issue.
Sarah Shaw, who has lived in Washington state for three years, was stopped by border officials on July 24 while re-entering the country from Canada. She had dropped off her older children at Vancouver airport to visit their grandparents in New Zealand, when officers flagged her “combo card” visa. The document allowed her to work legally in the U.S., but another portion of her petition, filed under the Violence Against Women Act, was still pending.
Her son’s paperwork was approved, but because of the anti-family separation policies, he remained in custody as well, despite her request for his father or a friend to pick him up and take him home.
Instead of permitting her to return home, Immigration and Customs Enforcement transferred Shaw and her son to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, about 2,000 miles from her residence. Advocates say conditions were harsh. Shaw’s phone was confiscated. She was locked into a room each night with her son, and she was denied access to her own clothing.
Her case drew swift criticism from supporters, including the Washington Federation of State Employees, the union she belongs to. They argued that detention was unnecessary and harmful, especially since her son’s visa had already been approved. Immigration attorneys also noted that ICE had the discretion to release Shaw on parole while her paperwork was finalized.
Shaw’s family in New Zealand and friends in the U.S. spoke out during her detention, raising concerns about the impact on her child and calling the ordeal “traumatizing.”
On August 16, Shaw and her son were released and returned to Washington. Their experience has fueled broader debate over immigration enforcement and the risks families face when caught in administrative gaps.
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/16/mom-and-child-detained-over-visa-error-released-from-us-facility
Attorney General Pam [“Bimbo #3”] Bondi said Thursday she was ramping up pressure on 32 “sanctuary jurisdictions,” urging them to comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“I just sent Sanctuary City letters to 32 mayors around the country and multiple governors saying, you better be abiding by our federal policies and with our federal law enforcement, because if you aren’t, we’re going to come after you,” she told a Fox News reporter.
“And they have, I think, a week to respond to me, so let’s see who responds and how they respond. It starts at the top, and our leaders have to support our law enforcement,” she added.
The measure comes after an Aug. 5 release from the Justice Department highlighting various states, cities and counties deemed noncompliant with regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.
“For too long, so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies have undermined this necessary cooperation and obstructed federal immigration enforcement, giving aliens cover to perpetrate crimes in our communities and evade the immigration consequences that federal law requires,” [“Bimbo #3”] Bondi wrote in the letter to officials across the country.
“Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court,” [“Bimbo #3”] Bondi wrote in a post announcing the move.
She cited a late April executive order from President Trump as legal grounds for the push.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for the 32 jurisdictions that received letters from [“Bimbo #3”] Bondi.
The below jurisdictions received a letter from the Department of Justice on Aug. 5:
States:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
Counties:
- Baltimore County, Md.
- Cook County, Ill.
- San Diego County, Calif.
- San Francisco County, Calif.
Cities:
- Albuquerque, N.M.
- Berkeley, Calif.
- Boston
- Chicago
- Denver
- District of Columbia
- East Lansing, Mich.
- Hoboken, N.J.
- Jersey City, N.J.
- Los Angeles
- New Orleans
- New York City
- Newark, N.J.
- Paterson, N.J.
- Philadelphia
- Portland, Ore.
- Rochester, N.Y.
- Seattle
- San Francisco City
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5454204-bondi-immigration-enforcement-urge
An outbreak of a respiratory disease, possibly Covid-19, is running rampant through the remote Florida immigration jail known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, according to the attorney of an infected detainee removed from the camp last week.
Eric Lee said he was told by his client Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez that conditions at the facility had deteriorated significantly since Thursday as more migrants held there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency experienced symptoms.
Lee said authorities removed Rivas Velásquez, a 38-year-old Venezuelan man, from the camp after he was diagnosed in a hospital visit last week, then secretly taken to a similar facility in Texas.
Protesters at the gates of the jail in the heart of the Florida Everglades have recorded a number of instances of ambulances arriving and leaving.
Lee said the hastily erected tented camp, which Democratic lawmakers have decried for holding thousands of undocumented detainees in cages as they await deportation, is a “petri dish for disease”.
He added: “Based on what multiple detainees have told me, in the last 72 to 100 hours, there is some respiratory disease which has made the majority, or I would even say vast majority of detainees, sick in some form.
“There are people who are losing breath. There are people who are walking around coughing on one another. Their requests for masks from the guards are denied, and they only are allowed to shower once or maybe twice a week.
“I said to Luis, ‘pass the phone. Let me hear it from somebody else. I just want to make sure that people’s stories are straight.’ And unfortunately they very much are.”
The development follows a claim by a woman, a state licensed corrections officer, who said she contracted Covid-19 after working at the camp in unsanitary conditions for about a week last month, and was subsequently fired.
“We had to use the porta-johns. We didn’t have hot water half the time. Our bathrooms were backed up,” the woman told NBC6 News after being granted anonymity to discuss conditions there.
“[The detainees] have no sunlight. There’s no clock in there. They don’t even know what time of the day it is. The bathrooms are backed up because so many people [are] using them.”
The Florida department of emergency management, which is responsible for operations at the jail, did not immediately respond to a request from the Guardian for comment.
In a statement to the Miami New Times, Stephanie Hartman, a department spokesperson, did not answer questions about a possible outbreak, but insisted: “Detainees have access to a 24/7, fully staffed medical facility with a pharmacy on site.”
Lee said Rivas Velásquez told him in a phone call that he pleaded for medical attention for 48 hours after contracting breathing difficulties, and eventually collapsed inside the metal cage in which he and dozens of other inmates were being held.
He said his client was taken to Miami’s Kendall regional medical center, where he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection, then returned only briefly to the Everglades camp before disappearing for three days. Lee said Rivas Velásquez called on Sunday from a new detention camp in El Paso, Texas.
“He said when he was returned to the Alcatraz facility he asked the guards to provide his medical records and they said they would not do that,” Lee said.
“The guards came to his bed, opened his pillow, took all the poetry and letters he’d been writing, and all the notes he’d been taking about his experiences, and told him he’s no longer allowed to write.”
Apart from the brief call from Texas, Lee said he had no further information about his client’s wellbeing.
“I haven’t heard from him for two days now. I have no idea how he’s doing or frankly whether he’s alive or not. It’s hard to wage a legal fight when you don’t even have access to your client,” he said.
If the outbreak is Covid, Lee added, it would have consequences beyond Alligator Alcatraz.
“The disease doesn’t recognize the prison walls and guards are going to get sick. They’ll give it to their kids, it’s going to get into the Miami school system, people are going to get sick and die as a result of the conditions that are in this facility,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/12/attorney-covid-outbreak-alligator-alcatraz
A California man who voted for President Donald Trump has spoken out after being detained by immigration agents.
Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old American citizen from Montebello, joined a lawsuit challenging immigration enforcement tactics after federal agents detained him on June 12, NBC 4 Los Angeles reported.
“I truly believe I was targeted because of my race,” Gavidia told the outlet, adding elsewhere in the interview, “We were all brainwashed.”
“While conducting a lawful immigration enforcement operation in Montebello, CA, Brian Gavidia was arrested for assaulting a law enforcement officer and interfering with agents during their duties,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.
“Javier Ramirez was detained on the street for investigation for interference and released after being confirmed to be a U.S. citizen with no outstanding warrants,” she added.
Why It Matters
Millions of Americans voted for Trump in support of his promise to carry out widespread deportations of migrants living in the U.S. illegally, particularly those with criminal records. As immigration enforcement efforts ramp up across the country, concerns are mounting that the Trump administration is not, as it pledged, targeting the “worst first.”
Newsweek has documented several cases of Trump supporters being affected by the immigration raids.
What To Know
Gavidia voted for Trump, believing that his administration’s immigration agenda would target criminals, not everyday citizens, NBC 4 Los Angeles reported.
He told the outlet that during an immigration enforcement operation in the San Gabriel Valley, a federal agent pushed him against a wall and demanded proof of citizenship, asking him the name of the hospital where he was born.
Footage circulating on social media shows Gavidia shouting, “I was born here in the states, East LA bro!”
The video shows agents, who are wearing vests with “Border Patrol Federal Agent” on them, holding Gavidia’s hands behind his back.
Agents allegedly confiscated his Real ID and phone. Gavidia was later released and recovered his phone, but he said he never received his ID.
Convinced he was targeted because of his Latino heritage, Gavidia now rejects his prior support for the president.
“I believe it was a mistake because he ran on lies,” Gavidia said. “He said criminals.”
“If this was going to happen, do you think we would have voted? We’re humans. We’re not going to destroy our community. We’re not going to destroy our people,” he continued.
“We were all manipulated. We were all brainwashed,” Gavidia told NBC 4 Los Angeles. “And now look at us. We are all suffering because of it, and I feel guilty 100 percent.”
Gavidia is among seven plaintiffs in an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that resulted in a court order limiting when federal agents can initiate immigration enforcement.
The filing requested that the court prohibit raids conducted without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. It also said agents concentrated operations in places where Latino workers were often found, such as local car washes and outside Home Depot locations.
California has been a key battleground state for immigration enforcement operations after Trump ordered federal agents to ramp up arrests in Democratic cities.
On August 1, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a temporary restraining order, originally issued by a federal judge, that placed limits on how the federal government could carry out immigration enforcement operations in Southern California.
An attorney for the Trump administration argued before a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, seeking a stay of the temporary restraining order while the case was appealed. The panel denied the request.
The decision upholds a July 11 ruling granting a restraining order sought by immigrant rights advocates to limit federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles and other areas of Southern California. Under Judge Maame E. Frimpong’s directive, officers and agents may not detain individuals unless they have reasonable suspicion that the person is in the United States in violation of immigration law.
What People Are Saying
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: “Any allegations that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are FALSE. What makes someone a target is if they are in the United States illegally. These types of disgusting smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement. This kind of garbage has led to a more than 1,000 percent increase in the assaults on ICE officers. Politicians and activists must turn the temperature down and tone down their rhetoric.
“DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.
“We will follow the President’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets.”
Brian Gavidia told NBC 4 Los Angeles: “I believe I was racially profiled. I believe I was attacked because I was walking while brown. Where is the freedom? Where is the justice? We live in America. This is why I’m fighting today. This is why I’m protecting the Constitution.”
What Happens Next
Despite the legal restrictions, immigration raids continue. The Trump administration has appealed the Ninth Circuit’s decision that upheld the temporary restraining order. The case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide whether to lift or uphold the restrictions limiting broad-based immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-supporter-detained-ice-agents-immigration-2112676
A federal grand jury has indicted two Southern California residents on charges that they allegedly assaulted federal officers during an anti-immigration enforcement protest last month outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Erin Petra Escobar, 34, of the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with one felony count of assault on a federal officer or employee and one misdemeanor count of depredation of government property. Nick Elias Gutierrez, 20, of Hawthorne, faces two felony counts: one for assault on a federal officer or employee, and another for assault on a federal officer or employee resulting in bodily injury.
The indictment alleges that on July 17, a small group of protesters gathered outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse to protest recent immigration enforcement operations. Court documents allege that Escobar was seen using a permanent marker to write on and damage federal property. When officers approached to detain her, Gutierrez allegedly grabbed an officer’s bulletproof vest straps and shook him. During the struggle to detain Gutierrez, one officer dislocated his left ring finger.
Escobar and Gutierrez were eventually arrested. While being transported to a nearby holding cell, Escobar allegedly spat into the face of one of the officers, according to prosecutors.
Both defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on August 15 in United States District Court in Los Angeles. They are currently free on a $5,000 bond.
If convicted, Escobar faces a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for the assault charge and up to one year for the depredation charge. Gutierrez faces up to 20 years for the assault resulting in injury count and a maximum of eight years for the assault charge.
The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s General Crimes Section.
An indictment contains allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/protesters-charged-assaulting-federal-officers-immigration-rally
