Los Angeles Unified School District leaders are demanding restrictions on immigration enforcement near campuses after a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was mistakenly detained outside Arleta High School on Monday. According to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the student — who attends San Fernando High School — was at Arleta High with his grandmother to accompany a relative registering for classes. While the relative was inside, officers approached their car. Though they initially said they were not with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), district-reviewed footage appeared to show both police and U.S. Border Patrol personnel.
The boy was pulled from the car, handcuffed, and released only after school staff and Los Angeles police intervened. In a news conference, Carvalho condemned the incident, calling it “unacceptable… anywhere in America,” and warned that the trauma “will linger.”
Parents described the episode as extremely unsettling. “Our kids shouldn’t have to be scared of coming to school,” said Yvonne, whose child attends LAUSD. Board of Education President Kelly Gonez called the actions “absolutely reprehensible” and part of the “continued unconstitutional targeting of our Latino community.”
District officials said the incident illuminates the need for strong protections and civil liberties, emphasizing that “schools are safe spaces” and that immigration enforcement near campuses disrupts learning. Many parents voiced fears their children could be targeted based solely on appearance.
LAUSD Calls for Limits on Immigration Enforcement
In response, LAUSD has contacted 10,000 families potentially affected by immigration enforcement, rerouted bus stops, deployed 1,000 staff to school zones, and expanded virtual options for students too afraid to attend in person. The district’s We Are One campaign offers Know Your Rights resources, legal referrals, mental health services, and emergency preparedness information in English and Spanish, available online and via a 24/7 Family Hotline.
Mayor Karen Bass joined district leaders in condemning the incident:
“The fact that we even need a press conference to talk about strategies for how we protect our kids… is profound.”
The detention comes amid heightened legal tensions over federal immigration actions. In San Francisco, a bench trial began Monday to determine whether the Trump Administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act when it deployed military personnel in response to protests over ICE arrests.
