Four students from Columbia Heights Public Schools have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in separate incidents over the past two weeks, school officials announced Wednesday.
The detentions occurred amid growing tensions in Minnesota following intensified federal immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities.
The Columbia Heights Public School District, located just north of Minneapolis, serves a student population that is more than 50% Hispanic or Latino. District leaders held a press conference to share details about each case and voice concerns about the safety of students and families, according to CBS News.
Cases of Student Detentions
The cases include a 17-year-old high school student who was removed from his car while on his way to school on Tuesday morning, with no parents present. On the same Tuesday afternoon, a 5-year-old preschool student named Liam Conejo Ramos was taken from his home's driveway along with his father shortly after arriving home from class.
School officials say ICE agents used the young child as a means to draw out other family members. The agents reportedly removed the boy from a still-running vehicle and instructed him to knock on the front door to see if anyone else was inside the home.
Two weeks prior, a 10-year-old fourth-grade girl was apprehended by ICE agents while walking to school with her mother. The child called her father to report what was happening, but by the end of the school day, both the girl and her mother were already in a detention facility in Texas. A fourth incident involved a 17-year-old student who was detained with her mother in their apartment last week.
School officials confirmed that one of the detained families is following legal procedures and maintains an active asylum case with no deportation order issued against them. District Superintendent Zena Stenvik questioned the detention of the 5-year-old, stating that such a young child cannot reasonably be considered a public safety threat, the Star Tribune reported.
School Safety Concerns and District Response
The detentions have heightened anxiety throughout the school community. School officials reported that ICE vehicles have been observed in neighborhoods, near school properties, and while monitoring bus routes. An ICE vehicle even drove onto the high school loading dock on Wednesday before administrators ordered agents to leave.
In response to ongoing safety concerns, the district has offered remote learning options. The situation reflects a broader pattern of immigration enforcement affecting schools across Minnesota as federal agents continue operations in the state, as per kstp.
