ICE agents spotted near Oakland elementary school prompts lockdown

OAKLAND — An elementary school went on an hourslong lockdown Wednesday and numerous residents took to the streets in outrage after federal immigration agents were seen roaming near the campus in unmarked vans, including one with a Department of Homeland Security license plate.

The presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to a chaotic morning in the diverse West Oakland neighborhood that surrounds Hoover Elementary. A nearby preschool, Harriet R Tubman CDC, also went on lockdown.

At one point, the driver of a sedan appeared to flee one of the agents’ vans, leading to a brief pursuit before the sedan crashed head-on into a parked car. Jackie King, a Hoover School crossing guard, told this news organization that the man had become “spooked” when the van with a DHS plate flashed its lights at him.

A DHS/ICE van was seen near West Oakland and near Hoover Elementary on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes, and officials locked down the campus after the unmarked van was spotted in the area. (Courtesy photo)

The driver exited his vehicle after the crash and jogged away, according to neighborhood surveillance footage reviewed by this news organization.

Councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district includes Hoover, said later in an interview that she was told the man had dropped off a child at the elementary school before seeing the ICE van.

Meanwhile, bystanders recorded videos of the unmarked vehicles, at one point engaging in a confrontation with an apparent agent who yelled “(expletive) losers” at a woman who had asked him for his badge number.

Hoover Elementary canceled lessons, recess and lunch before allowing kindergarten and first-grade students to leave early for the day. Before the bell rang, residents filled the streets to watch over the neighborhood — an impromptu rally that signaled increasing preparedness among Bay Area residents in a year that has seen aggressive ICE enforcement.

“It was an extremely hard thing for educators and the babies in there,” said Olivia Udovic, who teaches at the Manzanita School but arrived from East Oakland to support the rally. “But we’re stepping up to keep the community safe.”

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, ICE has detained people in federal courthouses, at their homes and sometimes off the streets across the Bay Area. The heightened immigration crackdown has been a central focus of the Trump administration, which last month briefly ordered Customs and Border Protection agents to the East Bay, using Coast Guard Island in Alameda as a staging ground.

After the hit-and-run crash, the Oakland Police Department issued a statement saying an “outside agency” had been conducting an investigation in that area of town, unbeknownst to OPD officials.

Community members, including Yomi Young, center, take part in an...

Community members, including Yomi Young, center, take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Barry Pike, right, and other community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Associate Pastor for Justice and Outreach Drew Paton, of the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, takes part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Community members sing songs during an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Louis Segal and other community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Sara Hanes and other community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. “I think we just have to stand up and show up,” Hanes said. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Carol Robison and Jean Jeffress, from right, and other community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Barry Pike and other community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest across from Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Community members take part in an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

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The city department is now investigating the wreck, which took place just before 10 a.m. on the 800 block of 31st Street, near West Street and a few blocks from Hoover Elementary. Under the city’s sanctuary policy, OPD is prohibited from coordinating with federal law enforcement.

In a video posted to her social media, Fife showed the sedan being towed away and said the parked car hit, which was heavily damaged, belonged to a pregnant woman. Fife said in the video that the crash caused “panic calls” among neighbors, who came outside before “masked” federal agents left without arresting anyone.

“This is what happened after a parent was dropping their child off at school in West Oakland this morning,” Fife said. “It’s the same story we are hearing across the country. They wouldn’t identify themselves.”

Residents who took to the streets after the crash held anti-ICE signs and whistles to alert others if ICE agents returned.

In front of Hoover, a large group of adults circled the block, singing friendly kids’ songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” in preparation to calm down any frightened children.

School staff began escorting students out to their parents around 1:25 p.m. — when class otherwise would have still been in session. The children were greeted with cheers from the gathered crowd.

One mother picking up her child from Hoover Elementary said she “was very worried” about the situation.

“I try not to go out,” said the woman, who declined to provide her name because she was fearful. “I try to stay at home so I don’t have any problems.”

Community members take part in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The school canceled classes, and officials locked down the campus after an unmarked van with a Department of Homeland Security license plate was sighted in the area. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Luca Y., a neighborhood resident who declined to provide his last name for fear of retaliation, said he arrived after receiving an alert of the ICE sighting from Bay Resistance, an activist group.

“How many of these videos are we going to watch?” Luca said, referring to numerous viral videos of ICE agents detaining people in broad public view.

“People need to actually put their bodies in the way of these agents,” Luca said. “That’s what it’s going to take, because they’ll just keep coming.”

In a statement issued Wednesday evening, Oakland Unified officials reminded parents and the community that “we want you to know that your students are safe in our schools.”

“We applaud our school and district staff for stepping up and navigating the situation calmly and effectively today and we also want to acknowledge the support of the larger Oakland community in standing up for their fellow Oaklanders,” the statement read.

Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at shomik@bayareanewsgroup.com.

ICE agents spotted near Oakland elementary school prompts lockdown

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