This is a developing story . We will update it when further details are available.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained a parent after he dropped off his children at Nystrom Elementary School Thursday in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood, WCCUSD officials said on Thursday afternoon.
“I am livid and heartbroken…The fears families in our community have been carrying became a devastating reality for one of our own,” said WCCUSD school board member Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy via Facebook. “Detaining a parent after school drop-off is cruel and unconscionable. I am outraged for the father who was taken, for the family now facing separation and uncertainty, and for the children whose sense of safety has been shattered.”
Gonzalez-Hoy included a statement from Superintendent Cheryl Cotton, who consulted with local law enforcement, school staff and other board members to confirm what happened.
“Immigration enforcement actions in our community cause both direct trauma to the families involved and can have broad impacts on student wellbeing and school attendance,” Cotton wrote. “We are asking all principals to make sure that staff are outside to support during drop-off and pickup, and (United Teachers of Richmond) is asking teachers to support during drop-off and pickup as well. We are also reaching out to community partners to support neighborhood safety in the area of schools that are feeling the direct impact of this enforcement.”
Cotton noted that Assembly Bill 49, signed in 2025, prohibits any law enforcement agent carrying out immigration actions from accessing school campuses or student records without a signed judicial order and that WCCUSD has a policy in place reinforcing this law.
She points anyone with concerns to the district’s immigration resources web page.
Last sprint the Richmond City Council took action to strengthen its position as an ICE-free zone by approving an explicit ban against the use of city property as staging areas or processing locations during federal immigration enforcements, according to the agenda report.
Federal immigration action hotlines and resources
- Reimagine Richmond’s Richmond Community Rapid Response is a community network that notifies residents of verified, active ICE sightings and provides rapid-response support. Their hotline can be reached at 510-240-9420.
- Reimagine Richmond’s Richmond Weather Channel, is a group that notifies residents of verified and active local ICE sightings. You can join their Signal to receive activity alerts.
- You can also call Stand Together Contra Costa at 925-900-5151 for help or visit their website for more information.
- Visit www.ccijustice.org/carrn to find local rapid response networks, groups that mobilize to alert communities when an action is taking place.
The ordinance also bars city employees from giving immigration agents access to non-public areas of city buildings, such as offices, storage spaces and workshops, and prohibits the city from providing resources such as personnel, funding, equipment, communications systems, office space or parking access for immigration enforcement purposes. It also called for the city to develop a communications plan, with public input, for alerting residents when verified immigration enforcement activity occurs.
The city also allotted $1 million help three nonprofit organizations — Catholic Charities East Bay, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant and the Multicultural Institute — provide free or low-cost legal help and community education to Richmond’s immigrant residents.
