CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — The Chula Vista Elementary School District Superintendent is speaking out, one day after ICE arrested a woman near Camarena Elementary School.
The arrest happened early Wednesday morning. The woman is a parent of children at the school.
Superintendent Dr. Eduardo Reyes emphasized that the arrest occurred entirely off campus.
"Anytime anything happens near our campus, obviously on our campus or near our campus, our number one concern is the children. What is happening with the children? Are the children safe?" Reyes said.
ICE officials confirmed they arrested a woman who had a deportation order dating back to 2022. ABC 10News isn't publicly naming her because, based on a search of public records, she hasn't been convicted of any crime.
The district has reached out to support the family affected by the arrest.
"So we actually reached out to the family member who has custody right now of the children to provide support," Reyes said.
Following the incident, the district sent notification letters to both Camarena families and all parents district-wide.
Reyes noted that the district has established protocols for handling potential ICE presence on school grounds, including training for principals.
"Our protocols are, we basically follow the law, which is no law enforcement agency can come into campus to talk to students unless they have a signed warrant by a judge," Reyes said.
The superintendent also confirmed he spoke directly with ICE officials after learning of the incident.
"They reiterated to me that they're not going into schools. So that was the information that I received," Reyes said.
When asked if this was reassuring, Reyes responded: "Well, for now it is, hopefully it continues, but you know we're staying, you know, again our job is to make sure that we do what we need to do at our schools to ensure the safety of our students."
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