Federal immigration agents detained a Richmond father on Thursday morning, Oct. 8, shortly after he dropped his children off at Nystrom Elementary School in the city's Iron Triangle neighborhood, West Contra Costa Unified School District officials said.
According to Area 3 Trustee Cinthia Hernandez, the arrest happened around 7:35 a.m. near South Sixth Street and Maine Avenue, the Richmond Standard reported. Superintendent Cheryl Cotton told families the district had received a confirmed report of immigration enforcement in the area that resulted in the father's arrest. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not publicly commented in the reports reviewed for this story.
How the district is responding
In a letter to families, Cotton said enforcement actions cause direct trauma to the families involved and can affect student wellbeing and attendance across a school community. She asked principals to have staff outside during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup, and the United Teachers of Richmond union asked teachers to help as well. The district said it is also working with community partners on neighborhood safety around affected schools, and it has posted legal aid and family support links on its website.
Cotton pointed to Assembly Bill 49, signed in 2025, which bars agents carrying out immigration enforcement from entering school campuses or accessing student records without a signed judicial order. The district has a policy reinforcing that law. The arrest itself took place on a nearby street, not on school grounds.
Board members react
School board clerk Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy wrote on Facebook that he was "livid and heartbroken," calling the detention of a parent after drop-off "cruel and unconscionable." Hernandez also criticized the arrest, saying parents should be able to bring their children to school without fear of being separated from them.
Bay City News noted it is at least the second case this year of a WCCUSD family being caught up in federal immigration enforcement. In March, a third-grader and her mother were detained at San Francisco International Airport and later deported.
Where families can get help
The district's resource page lists Stand Together Contra Costa, which runs a rapid-response hotline and legal services for Contra Costa residents at (925) 900-5151. The district also urges families to keep emergency contacts on their student's school records up to date.