By Billal RahmanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA 7-year-old student in Vermont and his mother were detained by immigration authorities while traveling over the Thanksgiving break, according to the superintendent of Vermont's Winooski school district.
The boy, who attends JFK Elementary School in Winooski, failed to show up for classes on Monday after the holidays, according to the school. School officials contacted his home, and his father reported that he had been unable to reach his wife and son since Thursday, according to Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.
Newsweek has contacted the school district, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, for comment.
...Why It Matters
The incident occurs amid increased scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement practices as the Trump administration barrels forward with plans for what it has described as the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, aimed at removing people living in the country without legal status. While the operation targets undocumented immigrants, cases have emerged in which U.S. citizens and legal residents have been detained, raising concerns among immigrant communities. While the administration has vowed to prioritize the "worst of the worst," and federal agencies have detained individuals with serious criminal records, cases have emerged of non-violent immigrants with no criminal history being detained.
What To Know
The boy and his mother were traveling out of state to visit relatives when the arrest occurred, the school said. Chavarria, said they "made a wrong turn," were stopped by federal immigration agents, and taken into custody.
"We’ve had caregivers be detained and deported here in Winooski but we’ve never had one of our children be taken into custody by ICE," Chavarria said.
The pair are being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, pending a hearing before an immigration judge, who will decide whether they may remain in the United States.
To support the boy and his mother, the district located the detainees, helped connect them with legal assistance, and provided their father in Winooski with US$1,000 from a private emergency fund, according to VTDigger.
Earlier this year, the Winooski School District became the first in Vermont to pass a "sanctuary schools" policy aimed at protecting immigrant students and families from federal immigration enforcement actions, according to the school.
What People Are Saying
Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria said in a statement: "I strongly condemn the abduction of one of our 2nd graders and his mother by ICE while traveling during the school vacation. This is yet another example of the terror our families face simply by doing things other people take for granted-going to school, shopping for groceries, or just visiting family. I call for their immediate release and for the US government to bring basic humanity and due process back. Our 2nd grader should be in his classroom, not in a detention cell."
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement: "They are now at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas, formerly called the South Texas Family Residential Center, pending a hearing before an immigration judge who will decide if they can remain in the U.S. If ordered removed to their home country, ICE will conduct the removal."
What Happens Next
The boy and his mother will remain in federal custody pending immigration proceedings.
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