In a distressing escalation of immigration enforcement actions, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained two more children from a Minnesota elementary school, officials have confirmed. The brothers, aged in second and fifth grades, were taken into custody alongside their mother, who has a pending asylum case, sparking further outrage in the community already reeling from the detention of five-year-old Liam Ramos.
Heartbreaking Detention of Schoolchildren
The superintendent of the Columbia Heights school district, Zena Stenvik, revealed that the mother was first apprehended during a court appointment for her immigration case on Thursday. With no other family available to care for her sons, she made the agonising decision to request that school officials bring the children to her at the Whipple federal building in Minneapolis, where immigration officers have been holding detainees.
Stenvik described the situation as "awful" and "heartbreaking," emphasising that educators are not prepared or trained for such traumatic events. "We’ve dedicated our lives to protecting and educating children," she said, highlighting the emotional toll on both the children and adults involved.
Traumatic Reunion at Detention Facility
Jason Kuhlman, the principal at Valley View elementary school, along with other trusted school officials, escorted the boys to the Whipple building to reunite them with their mother. Kuhlman expressed overwhelming frustration and anger, noting that the boys were quiet and stoic until they entered the facility, where the older child became visibly upset. "He’s a fifth grader, so I guarantee he knows what’s going on ... I think the fear started setting in," Kuhlman told Minnesota Public Radio.
A school nurse held the boys' hands as they walked into the facility, and Kuhlman attempted to negotiate their release with immigration agents, but was refused. Stenvik recounted that the experience was "very, very traumatic for the children and adults alike." Leslee Sherk, principal of Columbia Academy, who also accompanied the boys, described the environment as intimidating, with armed personnel and security measures, stating, "It is not a place for kids. It’s scary."
Transfer to Texas and Broader Implications
The family has since been transferred to the ICE south Texas family residential center in Dilley, Texas, the same facility where Liam Ramos and his father are being held. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democratic congressman, recently visited Liam and expressed concern over the boy's depressed mental state. With this latest detention, there are now five students from the Columbia Heights school district held in Dilley, according to Stenvik.
This case adds to a pattern of rapid out-of-state transfers by ICE, which Minneapolis immigrants' rights lawyers argue hinders access to legal representation and complicates court proceedings. In a similar incident last week, a two-year-old girl and her father were detained in Minneapolis and quickly moved to Texas, despite a judge's order to keep them in state, though the girl has since been returned to Minnesota.
Long-Term Impacts on the Community
Stenvik warned of the lasting negative effects on children, not only those detained but also those living in fear, avoiding public spaces, and shifting to online learning. "We are not crime-ridden here. Our students and their families are not criminals ... Our families deserve to go back to living in a peaceful way," she asserted, calling for an end to such enforcement actions that disrupt educational environments and family stability.
The US Department of Homeland Security has not responded to inquiries regarding these detentions, leaving many questions unanswered as the community grapples with the emotional and legal ramifications of these events.
