Baltimore school officials deny ICE's claims about coordinating arrests during graduation ceremony
Baltimore City School officials are denying claims from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that the district coordinated with the agency in the arrests of two adults at a pre-school graduation.
The arrests, which were captured on video Thursday at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School, sparked outcry from leaders across Baltimore and Maryland. City leaders pointed out that an emergency bill prohibits ICE from operating in "sensitive locations like public schools."
2 adults arrested by ICE
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said one of the individuals arrested, Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez, resisted arrest and ignored commands, using his vehicle to evade ICE agents. DHS said he took off toward the school before being arrested.
According to court records, Acevedo-Sanchez is a Mexican native. He is being held at a Baltimore detention facility. According to DHS, this was not his first time trying to evade law enforcement.
DHS said the second person punched officers and is facing charges for assaulting a federal officer.
In a separate statement, ICE's Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said, "To be clear: ICE does not target schools, but we will not allow criminals to hide in our nation's schools and put the safety of children at risk."
"ICE leadership coordinated with school officials and the Governor's Office to ensure the situation was resolved safely and with minimal disruption to the community," the statement continued.
School district officials respond
In a statement shared Friday, city school officials said they reviewed video and firsthand accounts from families and staff, and have "questions about ICE's characterization of events."
They emphasized that the district did not coordinate with ICE in Thursday's arrests.
"ICE has acknowledged that schools should remain places focused on learning and that enforcement actions should not occur on school campuses," school officials said. "We welcome that commitment and expect future actions to reflect it consistently."
School ICE arrests sparks outcry
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson described the incident in a social media post, saying the family was driving into the school's parking lot with ICE agents following.
According to Ferguson, the adults were taken from the car as the children were screaming in the backseat. Eventually, educators brought the children inside.
DHS later said the children were given to their aunt.
A host of leaders and lawmakers from across the city and state have condemned ICE's actions, with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott calling it a "disturbing incident."
"Our public schools and City facilities cannot be used for immigration enforcement, and immigration enforcement on campus or in the vicinity of our schools has direct consequences for the safety of our students and for their ability to learn," the city council said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the video "deeply disturbing" and said his administration has reached out to ICE to determine why federal officers were on school grounds.
"Let me be clear, Maryland will work with federal law enforcement when it makes our communities safer," Moore said. "But actions that terrorize children, separate families in front of a school, and undermine trust in public institutions do not make us safer."
