San Diego Superintendent Demands Changes After 8-Year-Old Student Taken by ICE
School officials cite the detention of a third-grader during a routine check-in as part of a wider pattern affecting Haitian families in the district.
By Takeshi Faure ·
Federal authorities placed an 8-year-old Haitian student into custody during an immigration appointment on Nov. 5 in San Diego. The boy, who attends Fay Elementary School, lost his temporary protected status earlier this year as part of a nationwide policy shift.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the detention in a written statement. The boy arrived at the check-in with a man who identified himself as his uncle. Because the man could not provide documentation proving he was the child's legal guardian, federal agents took custody of the child. The agency cited the Trafficking Victims Protection Authorization Act, which requires unaccompanied minors without a parent or legal guardian to be transferred to federal care.
The DHS statement noted that the boy entered the United States with a man who identified himself as his father. That father was previously removed to Mexico by Border Patrol and has never been in ICE custody. The statement did not specify why the father was deported. The boy was subsequently placed under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Fabi Bagula wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Nov. 6. She identified the boy as a third-grader and part of a larger group of students affected by the revocation of protected status. The Trump administration ended protected status for 350,000 Haitians last year. A federal judge temporarily blocked the move for nearly five months before the Supreme Court upheld the order in June.
School officials stated that the boy was walking to school when he was stopped by ICE agents. They said the agents badly injured him during the encounter. Bagula explained in her letter that the boy's uncle was distraught over the separation. The boy is now facing the interruption of his schooling and the loss of his daily routine.
The district sent crisis counselors to Fay Elementary School after other students expressed concern about their classmate. Bagula wrote that such circumstances place children at risk of academic regression, mental health challenges, and long-term instability. She noted that schools are often left to respond to the trauma and disruption caused by family separations and detentions.
Bagula demanded that the federal government change its policies and procedures affecting school-aged children who enter government custody. She recommended that agencies work more closely with school districts to maintain educational continuity. She specifically urged that children be placed with approved relatives, foster families, or temporary care providers located within the attendance area of their existing schools whenever feasible.
The letter was signed by school district members, unions representing teachers, school aides, and administrators, and San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera.
