Community leaders and public officials have condemned two recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that took place near educational institutions, describing the actions as cruel and exploitative. In San Diego, federal agents detained an individual near City College and pursued another onto campus. Separately, ICE officers arrested two parents outside John Marshall Elementary while they were dropping their child.
The San Diego Community College District said the arrest occurred around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday when agents in unmarked vehicles pulled over a car near 16th and C streets. The driver was taken into custody, while the passenger, identified as a City College student, ran onto campus grounds.
ABC10 reported that the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the identities of the two parents as James Mervil and Josselene Polidor, who had overstayed their visas. The arrests took place outside John Marshall Elementary in Chollas Creek.
Representative Scott Peters said he was deeply troubled by reports that students and parents were detained without warning while trying to attend classes or bring kids to school. He added that schools, childcare facilities, hospitals, courthouses and places of worship should not become “hunting grounds” for ICE agents. Mayor Todd Gloria echoed these concerns, warning that such actions inflict fear and trauma on families and educators, and called the operations cruel, unnecessary and counterproductive.
The San Diego Education Association released a statement condemning the arrests as unethical and unacceptable, noting that teachers are forced to support children who walk into classrooms carrying fear. The incident did not trigger a campus lockdown, and campus police did not assist ICE officers, who left the campus before district representatives could engage. ICE and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
