San Diego Unified School District officials said the parent of a student at Linda Vista Elementary School was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thursday.
The arrest occurred near the elementary school while the father was waiting to pick up his child, minutes before students were dismissed from their classrooms. The child’s mother was informed about the arrest and was able to pick them up from school, district officials said.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the name of the man arrested is Juan Jose Martinez Cortes, a Mexican national without legal status.
In an emailed statement Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary for public affairs, told KPBS Martinez was "fraudulently using an American’s social security number."
"Officers approached Martinez after he pulled over in a parking lot. On August 14, ICE arrested Martinez and placed him in removal proceedings," she said. “Allegations that ICE targeted Linda Vista Elementary School are false. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was never on school grounds."
On Friday, district officials held a press conference to address the incident.
“Let me be clear: Our schools and our neighborhoods that surround them should be off limits to enforcement actions like this,” said SDUSD Superintendent Fabiola Bagula. “These are spaces for safety, for growth, for belonging, for joy. And there may be a lot of debates about immigration reform, but there should be no debate that this kind of tactic is inhumane.”
San Diego Unified Trustee Sabrina Bazzo said Linda Vista Elementary experienced a decline in attendance Friday as a result of the arrest.
In a letter sent to parents, the district said it’s working “to ensure the impacted family has the resources they need during this difficult time.”
This is the second time in two weeks ICE has conducted a targeted detainment outside an elementary school. Last week, a mother was arrested at Camarena Elementary in Chula Vista for allegedly overstaying her visa; her children were in the car at the time.
Federal immigration enforcement actions continue to happen around the country as the Trump administration pushes forward with its mass deportation campaign.
Parents interested in learning more about their rights, regardless of their immigration status, can visit the district's dedicated website.
