![\"ICE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-07-at-4.15.12-PM-1.jpeg\")
A photo shared with City Limits of what appears to be ICE agents in the parking lot at P.S. 280 in Queens on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.<\/p>\nThe 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 Marble Hill.<\/p>\n
A photo shared with City Limits of what appears to be ICE agents in the parking lot at P.S. 280 in Queens on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
With additional reporting by Jeanmarie Evelly.<\/p>\n
Jackson Heights community members reported seeing six U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents\u2014most of them in plain clothes\u2014at a parking lot adjacent to Public School 280 on Saturday, Oct 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile a church event was taking place, ICE agents apprehended several individuals,\u201d reads a letter sent to families from P.S. 280 Principal Barbara Andujar, a copy of which was shared with City Limits. \u201cWe immediately notified the Superintendent, Borough Safety, and School Safety and are working to ensure the proper supports are in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a> Thursday night, firing into a car with a 5-year-old child inside, according to city officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe the child was physically unharmed,\u201d Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement about the Thursday shooting, which took place in the Marble Hill neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,\u201d the mayor added. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The arrests in Jackson Heights on Saturday rattled locals in the predominantly Latino neighborhood, who said they were particularly bothered by the agents\u2019 proximity to a school.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019 requests for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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, \u201cNo Smoking in or on School Property.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Children often play in the neighboring parking lot where the agents were spotted, locals told City Limits. \u201cIt\u2019s scary because you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen to you or your children\u2014the fear that they\u2019ll be left unprotected,\u201d said Margarita, a Jackson Heights resident who asked not to be fully identified. Though her own children don\u2019t attend P.S. 280, she lives a few blocks from the school.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOn top of that, they\u2019re separating families<\/a>, and that\u2019s what hurts the most, and the ones who suffer the most are our children,\u201d Margarita said in Spanish.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the Trump administration\u2019s first moves upon returning to power for a second term was to remove federal protocols restricting immigration arrests in \u201csensitive areas,\u201d<\/a> 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<\/a> or keeping their kids home from school.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d read the letter the school shared to families.<\/p>\n Immigrant advocates have been asking the city to establish clear protocols for ICE sightings near schools<\/a>, including the possibility of establishing a way to alert local families.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSchools must remain places of safety and security for New Yorkers\u2014schools should never be used as a staging ground for ICE agents to terrorize and kidnap our neighbors,\u201d said Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition. \u201cWhen ICE agents are spotted near or at schools, it incites fear across immigrant communities.\u201d<\/p>\n State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents the area, raised concerns about upcoming school events held after school hours or on weekends.<\/p>\n \u201cParent-teacher conferences are going to be happening somewhat soon, and obviously we want parents involved in their child\u2019s education,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cThis can hinder a parent\u2019s participation in their child\u2019s school community.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cICE must stay away from our schools, and New York City must enforce and strengthen its protections for every student and their families,\u201d Awawdeh said.<\/p>\n To reach the reporter behind this story, contact [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. To reach the editor, contact [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n