YPSILANTI, Mich. – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly took several parents into custody at a school bus stop in Ypsilanti during Tuesday morning’s student drop-off.
Three detainees are now receiving legal support from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC).
“It is just heartbreaking to see these actions roll out,” said Christine Sauvé, MIRC’s policy, engagement, and communications manager.
“There are no words to fully capture the pain, fear, and disruption this causes for our scholars and their loved ones,” Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Alena Zachery-Ross wrote in a letter to families.
Zachery-Ross emphasized that the district does not voluntarily cooperate with ICE and is working to maintain school grounds as protected spaces for student learning.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer addressed the incident’s impact on social media, noting that ICE typically conducts these operations without advance notice or coordination with local dispatch, leaving communities to manage the aftermath.
“These situations are deeply distressing for families, especially for children,” Dyer stated.
Local 4 reached out to ICE to find out why the parents were detained. Here’s the response:
“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. All three illegal aliens entered the U.S. 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.
Lies like these are just another reason why our officers are grappling with a 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks and a staggering 8,000% uptick in death threats.
We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
ICE Spokesperson
The MIRC reports an uptick in immigration enforcement activities throughout Michigan.
“That is happening in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the state. We don’t have the same task force representation of federal forces that we are seeing in other states,” Sauvé said.
She encourages people to familiarize themselves with their rights and prepare for immigration enforcement.
In response to the incident, Dr. Zachery-Ross advised families to take precautions when traveling to school and recommended reviewing “Know Your Rights” materials.