Oregon Preschool Sent Into Lockdown After ICE Arrests Father During Morning Drop Off

A preschool in Beaverton, Oregon, was placed on a "soft lockdown" Tuesday morning after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested a father outside the school as he dropped off his child.

The man, a 38-year-old Iranian national and licensed chiropractor, was taken into custody in the parking lot of Guidepost Montessori School, shocking staff, students, and parents. ICE claims he had overstayed a student visa issued in 2017.

"He married a US citizen and his US citizen wife filed a green card application for him," Caroline Medeiros, an immigration attorney working with the family, told OPB. "He attended his green card interview with his wife and they were just simply waiting for the green card to come through."

The shaken school alerted families with a message announcing it went into a "soft lockdown to ensure the safety of all students and staff."

Randy Kornfield, a grandfather who witnessed the scene described it as "heartless."

"They were driving off with one of the fathers who had just dropped his kid off," Kornfield told the outlet. "These poor kids don't know what's going on."

ICE confirmed officers broke a window to remove the man from his vehicle, citing resistance, but noted the child was unharmed.

Guidepost Montessori said it was "deeply disturbed" by the incident. "Our first priority is the safety and emotional well-being of the children in our care," regional manager Angel Ignacio said in a statement obtained by KPTV. "We are actively supporting the affected child and family, and we are providing our staff and families with resources to help them process this event with care and sensitivity."

The father was sent to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, pending removal proceedings.

ICE declined to confirm whether agents had obtained the supervisor approval required to conduct an arrest at schools or other sensitive locations where detainment was previously prohibited.

The Trump administration rescinded the policy blocking arrests at schools, churches, hospitals and courthouses with an executive order on his first day back in office.