ICE refutes claims that agents targeted parents at Ypsilanti school bus stop
Washtenaw County Sheriff discusses ICE enforcement at school bus stop
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer joins FOX 2 Detroit Live after she says parents were "targeted" at bus stop in Ypsilanti by federal immigration officers this week, adding the individuals that were taken into custody were connected to local schools in Washtenaw County.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson responded after the Washtenaw County Sheriff said Wednesday that ICE agents "targeted" parents at an Ypsilanti bus stop.
The spokesperson said agents were conducting targeted operations involving undocumented immigrants with orders to leave the United States, and refuted claims that a child was present.
The backstory:
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer posted on social media Wednesday that her office had received multiple reports from community members about ICE detaining a mother in front of her child in Ypsilanti.
She said the alleged incident did not take place on any school grounds, but near a bus stop.
"…it appears that parents connected to local schools were targeted at a bus stop in Ypsilanti during student drop-off times," Dyer posted on Facebook.
ICE 'targeted' Michigan parents at Ypsilanti bus stop during student drop-off, sheriff says
A Michigan sheriff says parents were "targeted" at a bus stop in Ypsilanti by federal immigration officers this week, adding the individuals that were taken into custody were connected to local schools in Washtenaw County.
The sheriff's update was posted alongside a letter from the Superintendent at Ypsilanti Community Schools that was sent to parents about "a deeply distressing situation."
"Earlier today, following reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence near our campus, we have received confirmation that several parents in our community were taken into custody while off school grounds," the letter reads. "There are now words to fully capture the pain, fear, and disruption this causes for our scholars and their loved ones."
The school system said it was working with the Washtenaw County Intermediate School District to assist students and families impacted by the enforcement.
The other side:
An ICE spokesperson said officers were looking to apprehend undocumented immigrants with final orders of removal on Tuesday when they saw two vehicles leave the home of one of the targeted people. Agents conducted a traffic stop, the spokesperson said, and detained three people – two from Honduras and one from Mexico.
A fourth person, who is also from Honduras, was detained from the second vehicle.
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"ICE does NOT target schools for enforcement actions or bus stop locations. To be clear, NO children were present during these arrests," the spokesperson wrote in a statement.
It is unclear if any of the people detained were parents who had dropped children off at the bus stop.
The trio remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
Dig deeper:
On Wednesday, Dyer said details about ICE arresting and detaining people can be difficult to confirm because the agency "frequently provides no advance notice, does not contact Metro Dispatch, and leaves families, schools, and communities to process the impact on their own in the aftermath."
"I am continuing to seek answers in partnership with our local leaders and schools. Children deserve to feel safe traveling to and from school, and actions like these can undermine that sense of security and cause lasting harm," the sheriff said.
The Source: Previous reporting and a statement from an ICE spokesperson were used to write this story.