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54m ago

ICE Detains Father at Oregon Preschool Under Expanded School Arrest Policy

His detention in Tacoma raises questions about the agency’s authority to arrest nonviolent immigrants at child-centered locations

A guardian drops off a child at the Guidepost Montessori school on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Beaverton, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Children are dropped off at the Guidepost Montessori school on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Beaverton, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Northwest Detention Center is pictured in Tacoma, Washington on February 26, 2017.
A sign for the Guidepost Montessori school is seen Friday, July 18, 2025, in Beaverton, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Overview

  • ICE agents arrested 38-year-old Mahdi Khanbabazadeh on July 15 outside Guidepost Montessori in Beaverton after a traffic stop led to his refusal to exit and a broken car window.
  • He remains held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma pending removal proceedings while his family awaits a decision on his pending I-485 green card application.
  • Khanbabazadeh legally entered the U.S. in 2017, overstayed his visa and has no criminal record; his I-130 petition has been approved following a green card interview four months ago.
  • In early 2025 the Trump administration rescinded DHS guidelines barring arrests at sensitive locations, enabling ICE to target individuals at schools, places of worship and hospitals.
  • Cato Institute research finds 93% of ICE arrestees since October 2024 had no violent convictions, fueling community concerns over enforcement priorities and child welfare at school sites.