Columbia Heights Public Schools: 4 students detained by ICE in recent weeks

School leaders in Columbia Heights held a press conference on Wednesday to speak about the impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations on the school district.

Columbia Heights Public Schools (CHPS) Superintendent Zena Stenvik said that four students have been detained by ICE and shared information about each incident:

Stenvik said on Tuesday, a 17-year-old high school student on his way to school was taken by ICE agents with no parents present. She said the student was reportedly removed from their car and taken away.

On Tuesday afternoon, Stenvik said a 5-year-old boy coming home from preschool was taken with his father while they were in their driveway. The agent then reportedly took the child out of a vehicle, led him to the door and told him to knock to see if anyone else was in the home, Stenvik said. She added that the family has been following the legal process and has an active asylum case with no order of deportation.

Stenvik said that two weeks ago, a 10-year-old child in fourth grade was taken by ICE agents on her way to school with her mom. By the end of the school day, the two were in a detention center in Texas, where they remain, according to Stenvik.

Last week, Stenvik said a 17-year-old Columbia Heights High School student and her mother were detained by ICE agents in their apartment.

Stenvik noted that ICE agents have been in neighborhoods, around schools, following buses, and coming into parking lots, noting that on Wednesday, an ICE vehicle came onto school property at the high school loading dock. School administration staff told them to leave.

“The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken, and our hearts are shattered,” Stenvik said.

“Our children should not be afraid to come to school or wait at the bus stop,” said Board of Education Chair Mary Granlund. “Their families should not be afraid to drop off or pick up their children from school … Schools and communities must be safe places for children and families to thrive.”

The school district noted that it is offering online learning options, along with other schools throughout the metro.

RELATED: Several school districts switch to remote learning amid ICE activity

DHS Assistant Secretary released the following statement in response:

“ICE did NOT target a child. On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration. As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot—abandoning his child. For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.

“Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 with the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app illegal aliens reserve the chance to come back the right legal way.”
The post Columbia Heights Public Schools: 4 students detained by ICE in recent weeks first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.