A 38-year-old Iranian father, Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, was arrested Tuesday morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the parking lot of a preschool in Oregon, triggering outrage from parents and immigration advocates over the handling of the arrest.
According to ICE, Khanbabazadeh had overstayed his visa and was subject to removal. Officers initially attempted to detain him during a routine traffic stop, but Khanbabazadeh reportedly asked for permission to drop his child off at Guidepost Montessori School in South Beaverton. Agents allowed him to pull into the school’s lot before attempting the arrest.
However, ICE alleges Khanbabazadeh “resisted arrest and refused to exit his vehicle,” prompting officers to break a window and forcibly remove him. No injuries to the child were reported during the arrest.
“It was just chaos,” said Randy Kornfield, a grandfather who was dropping off his grandchild at the time. “There were a lot of parents who were upset. And rightly so. It’s just not something that needs to happen at a preschool, or at any school, for that matter.”
Seven unmarked ICE vehicles reportedly swarmed the school lot. Caroline Medeiros, an immigration attorney and mother with a child at the school, witnessed the event and confirmed Khanbabazadeh’s wife was on the scene pleading with agents to disclose his location.
Medeiros stated that Khanbabazadeh originally entered the U.S. on a student visa and later married a U.S. citizen. He had already completed a green card interview and was awaiting legal permanent residency at the time of the arrest. He is currently being held at the ICE detention facility in Tacoma, Washington.
The arrest comes amid President Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown. Since returning to office in January 2025, the Trump administration has stepped up efforts to enforce immigration laws, often in high-profile or controversial ways. Trump has pledged to launch the “largest deportation effort in U.S. history,” dismantling previous limits on ICE enforcement and revoking temporary protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants.
In a statement to CBS News, Maris Mendes, CEO of Guidepost Global Education, called the incident “deeply upsetting.”
“As educators and caregivers, we are grounded in the belief that children deserve to feel safe, supported, and protected – especially in the places they come to learn and grow,” the statement read. “We’re supporting the affected family and reviewing how to better safeguard the emotional and physical security of every child in our schools.”
Advocates are demanding answers about the timing, location, and methods used in the arrest. Critics argue that conducting immigration enforcement at schools traumatizes children and violates the community trust that schools are meant to foster.
As the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement, incidents like these may become more common—raising urgent questions about the balance between public safety and human dignity.
