ICE Detains Detroit Students: Impact on Education and Community

Recent immigration enforcement actions by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in Detroit have sparked widespread concern and outrage, particularly regarding the detention of students. These events have raised critical questions about the impact of immigration policies on education, family stability, and the overall well-being of immigrant communities. This article examines specific cases of Detroit students detained by ICE, the responses from educators and community leaders, and the broader implications for the region.

Cases of Detained Students

Several incidents have brought the issue of ICE detentions in Detroit to the forefront.

Detention of Two Detroit Cousins

In a particularly alarming case, federal immigration agents arrested two 16-year-old Detroit cousins at their home on a Thursday. According to Kristen Schoettle, a teacher at Western International High School who works with one of the teens in an English class for newcomers, the teens were taken into custody along with two of their parents when agents raided their home on the eastside in search of a different migrant. The teens have work permits and jobs at Chili’s and had upcoming court dates. Schoettle emphasized that "She is an excellent student, really wants to learn English,". Despite this, the teens are being held in Texas. Outlier Media is not identifying the teens because their parents did not give consent.

Schoettle's knowledge of the situation is based on conversations with her student’s mother, who had spoken with the teen’s father in detention. Schoettle says the teens are there too, though the database does not provide information about minors in detention.

Other Detentions

The two cousins are at least the second and third Detroit students detained by federal immigration authorities this year. This spring, the arrest and deportation of Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, an 18-year-old student at Western, prompted protests.

Four Detroit students who were seeking asylum were detained by ICE. One of the students, Mor Ba, a 19-year-old that graduated from Detroit’s Western International High School, is “back home on bond,”.

Case of Aghayeva

Aghayeva, a senior from Azerbaijan studying neuroscience and politics, hasn't been publicly linked to any of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that roiled Columbia's campus. Aghayeva then dashed off a message to her more than 100,000 followers on Instagram: "DHS illegally arrested me.". Shipman said in a video released Thursday night, "The agents gained entry by stating they were police searching for a missing child,".

Attorneys for Aghayeva said she had entered the country on a visa in or around 2016. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Aghayeva's student visa had been terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes.

Community and Official Responses

The detentions have elicited strong reactions from educators, community leaders, and elected officials.

Educators' Concerns

Schoettle noted at least four students from her school are in ICE custody; some were sent to a family detention center in Texas. She emphasized, “They’re good kids. They’ve done nothing wrong,”. She added, “Honestly, if this was 10 years earlier, they would have had access to DACA and had more protections.". She and other advocates have said the kids detained at their school highlight growing concerns about how immigration enforcement is affecting children, school attendance and family stability across the region. “It’s crazy to be picking people up like this,” Schoettle said. “There was no arrest warrant for this family. … Now you’ve got kids in a detention center, and they’re just stuck there for I don’t know how long. It’s ridiculous.”.

Community Outcry

“We need all Detroiters to stand up against these kidnappings,” said Lindsey Matson, deputy director of youth organizing at 482Forward. “If you care about education justice in the city, defending the rights of immigrant students who are dealing with fear and trauma is a first step.

Statements from Elected Officials

Several elected officials have voiced their concerns and demanded action.

Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor): “The abduction of these students is unconscionable,”. “ICE is separating good, hardworking people from their homes, their schools, and their workplace. These students and their families came to this country to seek a better life, and instead are the victims of political violence at the hands of an indiscriminating agency that is abusing its power.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12): “These Detroit students should be in their classrooms, not torn from their community,”. “It is cruel and unacceptable for ICE to traumatize young people and their families who came here seeking a better life and an opportunity to thrive. I am demanding their immediate release. Our children deserve safety, human dignity, the love of their families, and the freedom to pursue their dreams without being terrorized by a system that treats them as disposable.
Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit): “Kerly, Antony, Mor, and Santiago, along with their parents, are simply following the legal process and trying to gain asylum as they seek a better life in Detroit,”. “ICE should immediately return these high school students and their parents home to Detroit so they can continue to learn, work and grow without the fear and violence they fled.
Gabriela Santiago Romero, Detroit City Councilmember for District 6: “These Detroit students belong in their classrooms with their friends - not alone in detention centers thousands of miles away,”. “As an immigrant and proud Detroiter, I am heartbroken and outraged by the fear these harmful actions inflict on young people who came here seeking safety and protection. ICE must release them immediately so they can continue their education, keep their families together, and pursue their asylum cases with dignity. Detroiters will not look away while our children are taken.
Sen. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.): “These students should be home for the holidays with their families, focused on school and their futures, not separated and detained far from their communities through enforcement actions that traumatize young people, lack transparency and basic due process,”. “As Chair of the Michigan Latino Caucus, I am deeply troubled by the harm these actions cause, not just to immigrant families, but to all of us.

School District Policies

The Detroit Public Schools Community District has a policy that forbids staff from allowing immigration agents into schools without a warrant or subpoena. Chrystal Wilson, a spokesperson at the Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the district does not work with ICE or share information with the agency.

Ypsilanti Community Schools' Stance

“Families should be able to bring their children to school without fear or intimidation. “Regardless of differing perspectives on public policy, children should not carry the emotional weight of adult decisions.

“I want to be clear: Ypsilanti Community Schools remains a safe sanctuary for all scholars,” Zachery-Ross said. “Our district policy remains unchanged. We do not voluntarily cooperate with ICE, nor do we grant them access to our school buildings or property without a valid judicial warrant.

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Impact on School Attendance and Community

One sign of that climate is falling attendance at Detroit schools with large immigrant populations. Outlier found that students at those schools missed an additional 4,900 days of class compared to schools with fewer immigrants over the months following Trump’s second inauguration. The teens were not arrested at or near a school, but news of their arrest could deepen those fears and keep more students home unnecessarily, said Chrystal Wilson, a spokesperson at the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Research shows that every day of missed school undermines student learning.

“I have many students who are afraid to go to school,” Schoettle explained. “For them, I’ve really just been sending them work through Teams.

ICE's Perspective

According to ICE Spokesperson:

“ICE does NOT target schools for enforcement actions or bus stop locations. To be clear, NO children were present during these arrests. ICE officers were conducting targeted operations seeking to apprehend illegal aliens with final orders of removal from the United States, Jan. 27, 2026. During the intelligence-based operation, ICE officers observed two vehicles leave the target’s residence and initiated a vehicle stop.During the vehicle encounter, officers encountered (two people), both illegal aliens from Honduras, and (third person), an illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal. under the Biden administration’s catch and release policies. During the second vehicle encounter, officers detained (fourth person) an illegal alien from Honduras. All of the illegal aliens remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings and will receive full due process. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”.

Fawaz acknowledged that “a fourth individual from Venezuela” was arrested later that day. Fawaz did not directly confirm or deny whether the cousins were taken into custody. According to Fawaz, Customs and Border Protection, linked the students’ arrests to the agency’s effort to track down the fleeing migrant. “While executing a search warrant for an escaped fugitive Ecuadoran national who assaulted a Detroit Border Patrol Agent last week, agents encountered three Venezuelan aliens who were illegally present in the United States,” Fawaz said.

Legal and Policy Context

The Trump administration is waging an aggressive campaign to deport as many immigrants as possible. To meet that goal, agents have broken with decades of precedent to target asylum seekers, often arresting them immediately after court hearings. Record numbers of people are being held in federal immigration detention facilities, three-quarters of whom have no criminal convictions. Detentions of children, often lasting months, skyrocketed after President Donald Trump’s return to office.

State lawmakers are set to discuss a slate of bills related to immigration enforcement Thursday, though they are unlikely to get traction in the Republican-led House.

Michael Thaddeus, a mathematics professor at Columbia and vice president of the university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has sued Trump, said "It's a horrifying sign that the roving eye of the administration is turning back to Columbia,". In recent weeks, Trump has once again intensified his attacks on several universities, including Harvard and UCLA.

Available Support

Three detainees are now receiving legal support from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC).

The MIRC reports an uptick in immigration enforcement activities throughout Michigan. Sauvé encourages people to familiarize themselves with their rights and prepare for immigration enforcement.

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