Judge orders release of father detained by ICE at Baltimore school

A federal judge ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Jesus Acevedo Sanchez after he was held since June for an arrest tied to Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Southeast Baltimore, putting a hard question back in front of Baltimore families: are school grounds really safe for immigrant parents and children?

Accounts of the encounter have described the scene differently. WBAL-TV said the ICE operation unfolded outside the school during a prekindergarten graduation ceremony, while The Baltimore Banner said Acevedo Sanchez was detained after dropping off his child at school. WBAL-TV also reported that ICE said Acevedo Sanchez “violently resisted arrest” during the encounter.

Baltimore City Public Schools confirmed the operation took place at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School. The detention set off concern among families, educators and city leaders, and Baltimore council members later called for more protection from ICE near schools.

The release order lands against a policy backdrop that school leaders and state officials have already put in writing. The Maryland State Department of Education says on its immigration enforcement guidance page that ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all students regardless of immigration status is a priority. That language now sits in sharp contrast with a June arrest on a school campus, in front of parents and children moving through a normal school day.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume criticized the arrest in a public statement, and Baltimore school officials promised to protect students after the incident. The case has also been linked to a separate ICE encounter near a Baltimore school, when a father’s car was hit by ICE vehicles as he took his children to school, deepening worry across the city’s school communities.