Tuesday morning’s run-in with ICE agents at Blatchley and Pine. Credit: Contributed photo Mayor Justin Elicker on Tuesday: “It’s concerning that ICE is attempting to arrest someone with a child.” Activists and local elected officials descended on John S. Martinez School Tuesday mornin g to support a man who was seeking refuge after he narrowly avoided being arrested by federal immigration agents. The 47-year-old man had been stopped by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer while taking his daughter to the James Street K-8 school Tuesday, according to local activist and Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) leader John Lugo. Lugo said he had spoken with the man’s wife. According to Lugo, the father and his daughter had been stopped by ICE outside their home near Blatchley Avenue and Pine Street in Fair Haven. Lugo said that, when the ICE officer saw the child, the officer told the father to drop her off at school — and to wait for officials outside. At around 9:30 a.m., around ten activists stood outside the school, where the man was hiding out from ICE. They were keeping an eye out, but no ICE officers had come to the school yet. City teachers union President Leslie Blatteau and Vice President Jenny Graves remained with the man inside. Blatteau declined to comment for this story. “It’s easy to target Fair Haven,” said Lugo, given the number of Latino immigrants who live in the neighborhood. “I’m getting a lot of calls from parents who have kids here,” he said. “I’m worried some kids will stop going to school.” Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller also visited Martinez School Tuesday morning. She went inside and said she spoke with the father. “We want to make sure that families know that schools are safe,” Miller said. She said that activists would be present at the school’s dismissal on Tuesday to boost support for families, who can also request to be walked home after school lets out. New Haven Public Schools’ (NHPS’) requires that ICE officers provide a warrant if they want to enter a school, which is then reviewed by a legal team and the superintendent’s office. Mayor Justin Elicker stopped by the school on Tuesday, along with Deputy Corporation Counsel Roderick Williams. As he left, Elicker said, “We do everything we can within the law to keep our community safe, and it’s concerning that ICE is attempting to arrest someone with a child.” In April, ICE agents attempted to arrest another Fair Havener while he took his seven-month-old baby to daycare. Activists recorded the officers and urged them to leave the man alone, ultimately succeeding as officers backed off. Last year, however, ICE agents did arrest Hill mom Nancy Martinez while her children watched, boxing her car in as she left to take her kids to school. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over ICE’s ability to arrest people in our city,” Elicker said Tuesday. The city has control over its police department, he noted, which is instructed not to aid federal immigration officers in arrests. “We’ll do our best to notify people of their rights.” Meanwhile, John Martinez School Assistant Principal Lauren Sepulveda posted the following notice online Tuesday morning: “Dear Martinez Families, There were reports today that ICE was in the surrounding neighborhood of our school. John S. Martinez is following all New Haven Public Schools protocols and safety measures. All students and staff are safe. We are following normal dismissal procedures. If there is a change in your child’s dismissal, please contact the main office immediately. If you have any questions, please reach out to the main office at 475-220-2000.” ICE did not respond to a request for comment by the publication time of this story. This story will continue to be updated. ULA member CJ worries that activists gathering at John Martinez leaves other parts of the city open for ICE arrests. The post Fair Haven Dad Seeks Refuge From ICE At School appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less