ICE takedown in view of young children at school leaves 2 detained and backlash roiling

(CNN) — The elementary students just getting to school didn’t need an adult to explain what was going on. The ICE vests and man restrained on the ground told them all they needed to know.

“Oh, they’re gonna arrest us. They’re gonna take us,” the young children said Thursday morning as Jude Castellanos drove the minivan ferrying them to classes in Baltimore.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had been pursuing an undocumented immigrant who, with his family, drove into the parking lot of Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle school around 8 a.m., authorities and witnesses said.

The man, identified as Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez, “refused lawful commands, violently resisted arrest, and used his vehicle to evade law enforcement, dragging an ICE officer in the process,” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis later told CNN.

Agents pulled the man from the car as educators took two kids from the back seat, authorities and witnesses said.

Soon, the man was face down on the ground with two agents over him, a video Castellanos shared with CNN shows, while a woman peered out a vehicle’s broken window before she was led away, hands apparently restrained behind her back.

The arrests, in view of kids with colorful backpacks preparing for pre-K and kindergarten promotion ceremonies, mark the latest chapter of the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown to spark community backlash.

“It’s truly unconscionable and unbelievable what happened this morning,” Maryland state Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, said in a video posted Thursday on Facebook.

Behind the scenes, ICE was “apologetic” to state and school officials about the arrest happening on school grounds, noting circumstances led them there, a source familiar with the incident told CNN.

“To be clear: ICE does not target schools,” Bis told CNN in a statement, “but we will not allow criminals to hide in our nation’s schools and put the safety of children at risk.”

Suspects face federal charges, DHS says

The children taken from the SUV are now in the custody of their aunt after their parents were allowed to contact a relative, DHS said.

The man detained by ICE is facing federal charges for resisting and impeding federal officers, and destruction of government property, said Bis, adding ICE had encountered Acevedo-Sanchez this spring.

“During a previous ICE encounter in April, he caused a collision with an ICE vehicle before fleeing the scene,” Bis said without giving further details of this incident.

CNN is working to determine whether Acevedo-Sanchez has a lawyer.

The woman in the vehicle, whom DHS described as in the US illegally but did not name, is facing charges for assaulting a federal officer. The agency did not provide more details about her or the allegations against her.

The administration of Maryland’s Democratic governor was in touch with ICE leadership about what happened Thursday and why it occurred on school grounds, Gov. Wes Moore said, calling the incident “disturbing.”

It was not immediately clear whether the family was affiliated with the school, Baltimore City Public Schools spokesperson Sherry Christian said Thursday before DHS identified Acevedo-Sanchez. CNN has reached out for more information.

“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,” Bis said.

Students screamed, van driver says

The children in the small group Castellanos was driving to school – ranging from first to fifth grade – were terrified and screaming as they watched the arrest unfold, she said.

“I’m completely shocked because I’ve seen this in the streets, but I’ve never seen this inside of a parking lot in a school,” said the driver for an independent school transportation system.

Almost immediately, teachers got to the van and escorted the students inside the school, making them feel more secure, Castellanos said.

Quickly after she first posted the video online, Castellanos got a flurry of calls from parents scared to go to the school for the pre-K promotion, she said.

Principal Marc Martin was “deeply disappointed” the enforcement activity occurred on school grounds and officials are seeking “clear assurances” that nothing like that occurs again, he wrote in a letter to the school community.

“While some members of our school community were significantly impacted, students and staff who were not involved remain safe, and we continued with our scheduled activities, despite the disruption,” he wrote.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott reached out to help the affected family, the school and “federal authorities to express our anger at this arrest occurring on school grounds,” the Democrat wrote on X.

“Schools are places where children should feel safe, where parents should be able to drop off their kids without fear, and where educators should be able to focus on teaching – not where federal agents carry out immigration enforcement actions in front of children,” the governor said in a statement.