Footage of the arrest shows two armed officers dragging the woman outside and handcuffing her against a car. “I have papers,” she shouted to the officers during the arrest. According to the school management, the woman has a valid work permit, which they also showed to the officers.
The officers entered the private school around 7 a.m., when several parents were dropping off their children. The arrest, which happened in front of parents, children and other teachers, caused widespread panic.
Normally, agents are not allowed to simply enter schools, hospitals and churches, but Trump abolished that regulation in January. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE raids do not target schools. According to DHS spokeswoman McLaughlin, the woman was not arrested at the school itself, but in a ‘front porch’, which is part of the public space. The woman is believed to have crossed the US border illegally in 2023, McLaughlin said.
