The parents of a teenager who was wrongfully detained by federal agents outside of Arleta High School spoke out about the incident.
The incident happened when the 15-year-old was pulled from a car, handcuffed, and briefly detained on Monday. Officials have described it as a case of mistaken identity where agents even drew their guns.
Wrongful Arrest of a Teenage Boy
Now, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is calling for limits on immigration enforcement operations near campuses. Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho criticized the incident, adding that district officials outlined new plans to keep students safe from immigration raids.
In his speech, Carvahlo said that the victim in the case was not an adult but a 15-year0old boy who had significant disabilities. He argued that something like this cannot happen, as it is the type of incident that traumatized the community.
After federal agents arrested and detained the teenager, they later released him, saying that there was a mix-up as they were looking for an adult. The LAUSD is now asking federal agents to honor no-enforcement zones, which can be set up a few block radius around each school, according to ABC7.
Carvalho added that one hour before the start of school and one hour after school ends, areas of protection will be established outside of schools for the benefit and safety of students. He added that the creation of a safe passage for students will include the addition of more bus routes.
The superintendent said that they have already rerouted a number of bus routes and added new routes to ensure there is enough transportation for all. On the first day of school for the district, LAUSD will be deploying more than 1,000 central office and district office staff into critical areas based on incident information. They will target schools that have seen a higher rate of immigration raids.
Ongoing Immigration Raids
The parents of the 15-year-old boy who was wrongfully detained expressed their concerns as the new school year approaches. The teenager's mother said that unmarked SUVs swarmed her car before they pulled her son out and immediately cuffed him, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The boy's mother said that the federal agents showed them a picture of an individual who looked like their son. But after she and the boy told them that they were not the same person, they decided to let him go.
However, instead of apologizing for the wrongful arrest and detention, the mother said the federal agents told her to look at the bright side. They allegedly said the family would now have an exciting story to tell when the boy went back to school, as per CBS News.
