BALTIMORE — Federal immigration agents arrested two people outside a Southeast Baltimore school Thursday morning during a pre-kindergarten graduation ceremony. The incident triggered panic among students and parents, disrupting a celebratory day and drawing condemnation from city and state leaders who said federal officials had previously assured them immigration enforcement would not occur at schools.

The arrests occurred at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School (CJR) as families gathered for end-of-year events and pre-kindergarten graduation ceremonies.

Baltimore City Public Schools confirmed the operation took place on school grounds.

“The federal agents have since left, and the situation has concluded,” district spokesperson Sherry Christian said.

Christian said some members of the school community were “significantly impacted” by the incident, though students and staff not directly involved remained safe and school activities continued.

In a letter to families, CJR Principal Marc Martin said ICE arrested two people on campus Thursday morning as students were arriving.

“Together, we are seeking clear assurances that enforcement activity of this nature will not occur on our school campuses again,” Martin wrote. “We will continue to advocate forcefully for the safety, dignity, and well-being of every student and family in our care.”

Martin said school district leaders and elected officials were in contact with local and state ICE officials following the arrests.

The incident comes weeks after concerns about federal immigration activity involving Hampstead Hill Academy and Patterson Park Public Charter schools.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

The Trump administration has made immigration enforcement and deportations a central policy priority, pledging to expand federal resources for ICE as part of a broader national crackdown.

Earlier this week, Congress approved and the president signed a roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package that provides multiyear support for ICE, Customs and Border Protection and related Department of Homeland Security operations through 2029.

The legislation includes about $38 billion specifically for ICE, representing a significant increase in available resources compared with recent annual operating levels, and is intended to expand detention capacity, hiring and removal operations as part of the administration’s enforcement agenda.

Community responds to what happened

Jude Castellanos, who operates BJK School Transportation, said she arrived at the school around 7:30 a.m. and saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers surrounding a vehicle near the front of the school.

Officers held down a man and struck him as he resisted, Castellanos said. A woman remained in the vehicle and was later arrested. School officials removed two children from the vehicle and rushed them into the school, she said.

Castellanos, who has operated her transportation company for nearly 15 years, said she had never witnessed anything similar.

After the arrests, children in her van became frightened and initially refused to get out.

“My priority was making sure the kids were OK,” she said. “This isn’t right; this is a school.”

She spent much of the morning fielding calls from worried parents seeking information about what had happened and whether their children were safe.

The arrests cast a shadow over a school community where more than 45% of students are Hispanic and more than one-third are multilingual learners, according to state education data.

When Luisa Rodriguez arrived to pick up her 7-year-old granddaughter after school, she had not yet heard about the arrests.

“It’s sad knowing those children will be left behind and their parents were taken,” she said. “Unfortunately, these are the politics of today. It’s scary, but what can we do?”

Rodriguez, a Cuban immigrant, said this has become the reality for many immigrants — one that becomes inevitable when they decide to leave their home countries to reside in the U.S.

As students were dismissed Thursday afternoon, employees from the United Way of Central Maryland distributed Spanish-language pamphlets outlining legal services, housing assistance, food assistance and other support programs.

“Parents are scared,” said Gisselle Escobar, who was handing out information alongside colleague Stephany Sulbaran. “We’re out here trying to get resources to families. Sometimes, that means giving (the pamphlets) out to the kids to give to their parents. … A lot of times, parents don’t know these resources are available.”

The pamphlets, written in Spanish, included details on how to receive free, confidential information and other services such as tax information, food, housing and bill assistance. They also provide information regarding access to rental assistance and free legal help, Escobar said.

Local, state leaders react

Thursday’s incident at John Rodgers prompted an immediate backlash from elected officials, who criticized the enforcement action near young children and accused federal authorities of creating fear in a school community.

Mayor Brandon Scott said his administration contacted the affected family, school district and federal officials after reviewing video of the incident.

“Schools should be places of safety in Baltimore, both for our young people and their families,” Scott said in a statement. “The Safe Spaces and Communities Act, which I signed in May, makes it clear that immigration enforcement has no place in sensitive areas like public schools. I want to reiterate once again that this type of enforcement is not welcome in Baltimore.”

Scott said the operation did not improve public safety and instead heightened anxiety among immigrant residents.

"Both public safety and order are jeopardized by the violent and dehumanizing tactics that have become the norm for federal immigration agents here in Baltimore and across the country," Scott said.

Multiple state officials echoed Scott’s concerns. Gov. Wes Moore called the incident “deeply disturbing,” while state Senate President Bill Ferguson said it was “truly unconscionable and unbelievable.”

Both men, along with officials from the Maryland State Department of Education, said they had been in communication with ICE since the arrests.

Ferguson, along with State Superintendent Carey Wright and State School Board President Joshua Michael, all said that ICE officials had made assurances that no immigration enforcement would take place on school grounds.

“Immigration enforcement does not belong in or near our schools,” Wright and Michael said in a joint statement. “Public schools have a long history as sensitive locations where immigration enforcement would not occur.”

Moore added that Maryland will work with federal law enforcement when it makes communities safer.

“But actions that terrorize children, separate families in front of a school, and undermine trust in public institutions do not make us safer,” he said.

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