San Diego County school districts are increasingly reporting that federal immigration enforcement agents have arrested or detained parents near campuses since the Trump administration launched its mass deportation efforts this year.
We’re covering these incidents. Know of one we don’t know? Send us an email at contact@inewsource.org. Last updated: Aug. 22, 2025
The latest: The publicly reported incidents happened off school property. Four of them happened in August.
A father of an Encinitas Union student was detained the morning of Aug. 20 near Park Dale Lane Elementary while driving to work. Video footage of the incident shows agents forcing the man into a truck as his wife and young daughter cry out for him, KPBS reported.
Check out the map for more information on other incidents.
How we got here: Immigration officials have been accelerating arrests in recent weeks under President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. Earlier this year, his administration rolled back a policy that once limited ICE activity at schools and other sensitive locations.
Immigration advocates have criticized Trump’s rollback of the sensitive locations policy, saying it will lead parents who are fearful of immigration enforcement to keep their kids home from school.
How schools are responding: School districts have policies that prohibit ICE and other immigration officials from entering campus without a warrant, unless there’s an emergency. And districts across the county have provided additional information in response to the increased enforcement: San Diego Unified has a website with resources for district students and families, as does Chula Vista Elementary.
Find someone in ICE custody: There’s a government website for locating someone in ICE detention. There can be a delay between when someone is arrested and when they show up in the locator search. You can search for someone here.
inewsource community reporting intern Rami Alarian contributed to this report.
