A 38-year-old Iranian man was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers outside his child’s preschool in Beaverton, Oregon, on Tuesday, leaving the local community in shock.
The incident occurred during the morning drop-off at Guidepost Montessori School, prompting the establishment to enter a “soft lockdown” to ensure the safety of its students and staff. Parents received a message regarding the situation, which has caused significant concern among families at the school.
OPB has chosen not to publish the man’s name due to difficulties in reaching his family and a lack of response from his immigration attorney.
This arrest marks the first known instance of immigration enforcement taking place at a school in Oregon amid the intensified immigration policies of the Trump administration. Historically, locations such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship have been largely protected from immigration enforcement actions, a policy that has now been under scrutiny.
According to ICE representatives, the arrested man lawfully entered the United States in 2017 but overstayed his student visa. However, Caroline Medeiros, an immigration attorney advising the family, contends that the man is lawfully present in the U.S. due to his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who has filed a green card application for him. Medeiros shared that the couple had completed their green card interview and was simply awaiting the approval of the application.
Court records indicate that the arrested man does not have any criminal history, raising further questions about the necessity and tactics of ICE’s actions.
Eyewitness Randy Kornfield, who was dropping off his grandson at the Montessori school around 8:30 a.m., noticed an armed officer present outside and an unusual number of large SUVs in the parking lot. Kornfield watched as a school employee confronted one of the officers, asking to see his badge number. The officer responded coldly, stating, “This has nothing to do with you, so back off.” Kornfield remarked on how unsettling it felt to see such an exchange.
Returning to the parking lot after leaving his grandson inside, Kornfield witnessed the situation escalate. He saw officers driving away with the father who had just dropped off his child, and noted that a school employee was visibly shaken while trying to comfort another distraught woman holding a baby nearby.
Kornfield expressed his feelings about the incident, describing it as “heartless” for immigration enforcement to arrest a father in front of his child during school drop-off. “These poor kids don’t know what’s going on,” he stated, emphasizing the emotional toll on the families involved.
During the arrest in the school parking lot, ICE officers reportedly broke a window of the man’s vehicle because he “resisted arrest and refused to exit.” An ICE statement mentioned that agents had initially tried to stop the man during a traffic stop but allowed him to continue to the school after he requested to drop off his child. However, Kornfield’s account suggests that officers were already at the airport waiting for the father to arrive.
An ICE representative defended the decision to have officers present at the preschool, citing concerns that the man might flee given his reported resistance to arrest.
The arrest drew sharp criticism and led to statements from school officials. Angel Ignacio, a regional manager for Guidepost Montessori, expressed the school’s disturbance regarding the events. “Our first priority is the safety and emotional well-being of the children in our care,” Ignacio stated in an email, adding that the school is actively supporting the affected child and family while providing resources to help staff and other families process this traumatic event.
For decades, immigration enforcement has been discouraged in sensitive areas, such as educational institutions and religious establishments, unless special circumstances warrant it. This year, however, that policy was rescinded, leading to backlash from advocacy groups that filed a lawsuit in federal court in Oregon. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has argued that it requires the flexibility to enforce immigration laws more effectively.
Despite the policy change, it’s unclear whether ICE officials followed required procedures when making the arrest outside the preschool Wednesday. A spokesperson for ICE did not confirm whether proper approvals were secured before taking action in a school zone, but reiterated that their existing guidelines had not changed.
Currently, the detained chiropractor remains at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he awaits removal proceedings. The events on Tuesday have not only unsettled the immediate school community but also reignited discussions about immigration enforcement practices and protections for vulnerable populations.
image source from：opb
