Parents dropping off their kids at Hoover Elementary School got a rude surprise in the form of ICE agents in the vicinity, with a car chase and crash resulting, and now the parents are banding together to prevent any ICE arrests.
On Wednesday morning, parents of kids attending West Oakland’s Hoover Elementary School got a pretty alarming message on an app some use called ParentSquare. "We got confirmation that there is ICE activity in the neighborhood,” the message said, according to KTVU. “They are on 31st and Market Street knocking on doors. The kids are safe and secure at school. Please do not come to the school. We will alert you when things are quiet in the neighborhood again.”
The Oakland Unified School District then sent parents a message confirming the school was on lockdown over the nearby ICE sightings. "Hoover Elementary is on secure school protocol because of their proximity to the ICE activity in the community,” officials said in that message. “Harriet Tubman CDC was on secure school protocol before regular dismissal for the day. Our other schools are following standard protocol for potential ICE activity in the community.”
The Chronicle reports that this resulted in ICE agents chasing a parent, who fled and caused a car crash. Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife relates these events, to the best of her knowledge at least, in the Instagram video above.
“This is what allegedly happened, a person was dropping their kid off at school and was targeted by ICE, and it led to what you see happening right here,” Fife said, pointing to two cars that had been in a crash. The parent was reportedly being chased by ICE agents after dropping off their kid at school, and in the resulting car chase, apparently hit a parked vehicle. The individual being chased then ran into a house, where they were given safe harbor.
“There were several neighbors that came out, there were panic calls, and the ICE officers left,” she added, noting that the agents were masked and would not identify themselves. “They said, according to the neighbors, that there were too many white people around to detain this parent. Too many white people. So white people, thank you for being a part of this struggle.”
Fife also added that the driver of the parked car was a pregnant woman, who’s being provided a temporary vehicle by the organization Moms 4 Housing. (Fife was a leading activist with Moms 4 Housing.)
The ICE operation was apparently quite real. “I personally saw camouflage individuals going door to door,” parent of Hoover second grader Jeff Ernstfriedman told KTVU. “I didn’t see them take anyone out. I did see the community was able to raise enough of an issue for them, and they stopped."
And there may have been other ICE activity in Oakland Wednesday morning. The school district email to parents also added that "We have also recently received unconfirmed reports of ICE in other areas of Oakland, including between 71st and 81st Avenues and International Boulevard."
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee put out a Wednesday afternoon statement on the matter.
"We were made aware of reports of federal immigration enforcement activity in the vicinity of local schools in West Oakland this morning,” Lee said. “ We immediately contacted our community partners, Oakland Unified School District, and the Oakland Police Department. We are still gathering information.”
“But here's what I want to reiterate to our immigrant community: Oakland stands firmly with you - this is who we are and what we believe," her statement continued. "You are not alone, and we will not be intimidated by federal operations designed to create fear and division. If you or someone you know needs support, please call the ACILEP hotline at (510) 241-4011 or visit The City Of Oakland’s Immigrant Rights and Resources page."
Image: BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 31: A woman whose brother was detained by federal immigration officers the day before walks with a local police officer to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing and detention facility to bring him medication on October 31, 2025, in Broadview, Illinois. She passes demonstrators and a heavy police presence amid President Donald Trump's administration's "Operation Midway Blitz," an ongoing immigration enforcement surge across the Chicago region.(Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images)
