Sacramento school trustees question police communication after ICE activity near elementary school
By Denzen Cortez
Click here for updates on this story
SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Sacramento City Unified School District trustees are calling for better communication with city police following immigration enforcement activity near Ethel Phillips Elementary School, saying the district was not notified despite their understanding that officers knew about the operation.
In a Facebook video recorded outside the school, Trustee Jasjit Singh said ICE agents detained an individual near La Superior, a business in the surrounding neighborhood. Singh confirmed that no immigration agents entered the campus and no children were detained.
“It is our understanding that Sac PD was aware of ICE activity, and yet our district was not made aware by Sac PD,” Singh said.
The Department of Homeland Security told KCRA 3 that ICE arrested Oscar De La Rosa-Nunez during a targeted operation in south Sacramento on Oct. 27. DHS said he was previously deported in 2022 and later reentered the United States illegally.
The agency disputed claims that the arrest happened directly outside Ethel Phillips Elementary School, saying it occurred a quarter-mile away. It was not immediately clear whether the arrest DHS described was the same incident referenced by trustees.
Trustee Chinua Rhodes told KCRA 3 that district officials learned about the activity through their own Safe Schools staff rather than Sacramento police.
“What we feel we should have heard is actually from our local police department ahead of time,” Rhodes said.
Sacramento City Unified has designated its schools as Safe Havens for years. Earlier this year, trustees voted 6-0 to approve an updated policy governing the district’s response to immigration enforcement.
However, those policies do not require Sacramento police to notify the district about federal enforcement activity occurring off campus.
Trustees are also urging undocumented parents to take precautions when dropping off and picking up their children.
“We ask you to really take precautions and make sure that if you’re doing school drop-offs, school pick-ups, to figure out someone who is going to be the safest person to come pick up or drop off your children,” Singh said.
Rhodes reassured families that students are safe on campus but said greater cooperation with city officials is needed.
The incident also drew a public response from Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple, who said her office received reports of an individual being detained by ICE in front of the elementary school.
KCRA 3 asked Sacramento police whether officers knew about the ICE activity, assisted federal agents or notified the district. The department did not directly answer those questions, instead referring inquiries about the federal operation to federal authorities.
Rhodes said trustees want city leaders to consider a policy requiring Sacramento police to alert the district when officers become aware of immigration enforcement near schools.
He said the goal is to improve coordination between the city and school officials so the district can better prepare and protect its students and families.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.