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The agents were spotted in the P.S. 280 parking lot Saturday and three people were arrested, according to a letter circulated by the Queens school. It came just days before an ICE agent shot and injured a man in Manhattan’s Marble Hill.
With additional reporting by Jeanmarie Evelly.
Jackson Heights community members reported seeing six U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents—most of them in plain clothes—at a parking lot adjacent to Public School 280 on Saturday, Oct 3.
According to community sources, local officials and a letter circulated by the school, three people were arrested that day. Records show both the school building and parking lot at 94th Street, between 34th and 35th avenues, are owned by the Blessed Sacrament Church. New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) leases the building on weekdays during school hours, according to City Hall.
“While a church event was taking place, ICE agents apprehended several individuals,” reads a letter sent to families from P.S. 280 Principal Barbara Andujar, a copy of which was shared with City Limits. “We immediately notified the Superintendent, Borough Safety, and School Safety and are working to ensure the proper supports are in place.”
City Hall said it is looking into the incident, which has been followed by additional ICE activity this week in the city: an agent shot and injured a man in upper Manhattan Thursday night, firing into a car with a 5-year-old child inside, according to city officials.
“We believe the child was physically unharmed,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement about the Thursday shooting, which took place in the Marble Hill neighborhood.
“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” the mayor added. “I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.”
The arrests in Jackson Heights on Saturday rattled locals in the predominantly Latino neighborhood, who said they were particularly bothered by the agents’ proximity to a school.
City Limits reached out to both the school and the church, which did not respond to a request for comment by press time. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security also did not reply to City Limits’ requests for comment.
P.S. 280 is an elementary school, offering spots for pre-kindergarten through 5th grade to residents in the area. The parking lot entrance is on 94th Street, and the parking area extends to the other side on 93rd Street, where a sign warns, “No Smoking in or on School Property.”
Children often play in the neighboring parking lot where the agents were spotted, locals told City Limits. “It’s scary because you don’t know what’s going to happen to you or your children—the fear that they’ll be left unprotected,” said Margarita, a Jackson Heights resident who asked not to be fully identified. Though her own children don’t attend P.S. 280, she lives a few blocks from the school.
“On top of that, they’re separating families, and that’s what hurts the most, and the ones who suffer the most are our children,” Margarita said in Spanish.
Residents said that the area where agents were seen is private property operated by the church, which opens its gates for mass and other activities.
One of the Trump administration’s first moves upon returning to power for a second term was to remove federal protocols restricting immigration arrests in “sensitive areas,” such as schools, hospitals, and churches. Advocates say such actions create a chilling effect, and could result in immigrant New Yorkers forgoing needed medical care or keeping their kids home from school.
City officials said City Hall and NYCPS are looking into the incident and weighing what further steps to take. They emphasized that schools are safe, and encouraged immigrant New Yorkers with questions about their rights to call the city’s Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365.
“We understand that an incident such as this may cause fear and anxiety particularly for our immigrant families and communities. Please know that P.S. 280 remains a safe and welcoming place for every child and family regardless of immigration status,” read the letter the school shared to families.
Immigrant advocates have been asking the city to establish clear protocols for ICE sightings near schools, including the possibility of establishing a way to alert local families.
“Schools must remain places of safety and security for New Yorkers—schools should never be used as a staging ground for ICE agents to terrorize and kidnap our neighbors,” said Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition. “When ICE agents are spotted near or at schools, it incites fear across immigrant communities.”
State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents the area, raised concerns about upcoming school events held after school hours or on weekends.
“Parent-teacher conferences are going to be happening somewhat soon, and obviously we want parents involved in their child’s education,” Ramos said. “This can hinder a parent’s participation in their child’s school community.”
Advocates renewed their call for strengthening protections around school areas as ICE activity has picked up in New York, with more than 19,500 arrests in New York State since Donald Trump took office for a second term, according to Gothamist.
“ICE must stay away from our schools, and New York City must enforce and strengthen its protections for every student and their families,” Awawdeh said.
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