An immigration arrest outside a Baltimore elementary school drew sharp criticism from state and local officials Friday and renewed debate about the presence of enforcement operations at or near educational settings.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez and an unidentified woman Thursday morning outside Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School as preschoolers, kindergarteners and their families arrived for end-of-school ceremonies, a Baltimore City Public Schools spokeswoman said. Details of the arrest were murky. A video taken by a bystander and shared with CNN shows a man squirming under the weight of officers as they pinned him facedown to the ground outside the school. A woman in the vehicle looks on as children in school uniforms are rushed past by adults. State Superintendent Carey Wright and State Board President Joshua Michael said in a statement that the arrest betrayed pledges from ICE that it would not arrest people on school campuses. It “overshadowed what should have been a joyful day of pre‑K graduation and end‑of‑year events,” they said.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said Acevedo-Sanchez “refused lawful commands, violently resisted arrest, and used his vehicle to evade law enforcement, dragging an ICE officer in the process.”
