Elementary school students in Lindenwold, New Jersey, were sent running when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation began near their school bus stop this week.
Doorbell camera video from the Woodland Village Apartments on Clementon-Gibbsboro Road showed children running through the parking lot Thursday morning.
Submitted video
The Lindenwold School District said the students in the fourth and fifth grades were waiting at their bus stop when an ICE operation got underway at the apartment complex.
“The presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion, and several students ran from the bus stop,” the district told families in a social media post Thursday morning. “Our bus driver acted quickly and responsibly, circling back multiple times to ensure as many children as possible were safely transported to school.”
“ICE Agents are NOT at the Lindenwold School District,” the post continued.
“It’s crazy. It’s scary and he’s too little to be knowing that and seeing that,” a mother of one of the students told CBS News Philadelphia on Friday. “And I don’t want him to be scared they’re going to take him one day. We’re scared for them. I don’t want my kid to be in school thinking someday somebody’s going to take him. And I don’t think other kids should feel like that, or be scared to go to school at this point.”
CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to ICE for comment on the incident and will update this story if we hear back.
Spanish and English-speaking counselors were made available at Lindenwold School No. 5 on Thursday.
The district leadership said they spent Thursday morning reaching out to representatives at the county and state levels “to alert them as to what occurred and to advocate strongly for protocols that prioritize the safety of children during any future operations.”
In a statement, Superintendent Kristin P. O’Neil said counseling would continue to be available Friday.
“I am grateful to the Lindenwold Police Department for their continued partnership and support. I am equally appreciative of the Lindenwold Board of Education for consistently prioritizing in-district and contracted on-site counseling services throughout the school year to ensure that all of our students have access to assistance whenever they need it,” O’Neil said.
Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement Friday that the ICE operation was “appalling” and “absolute chaos.” He also praised O’Neil and the school district for quick action to identify the students impacted and make sure they were safe.
“At the moment, we are short on facts and details about the intentions of ICE and do know at some point they called 911 for support. That said, the impact and fear that struck the children of our county was painful to watch and I can’t imagine the anxiety and trauma that came from this incident,” Cappelli said.
Democratic House Rep. Donald Norcross said the Department of Homeland Security did not give him any answers either.
“Why are they there around a school bus with children? Why are the children running away?” Norcross said. “And the fact that the ICE agents reportedly called 911.”
“There is a proper way to deal with an immigration issue,” Camden County Commissioner Jeff Nash said. “But to terrorize people in our community is just unacceptable.”
Cappelli and Commissioner Jonathan Young said they were in contact with Norcross to learn more about what happened.
“No one wants criminals in their community, that said, under Trump, ICE has been inhumane in how it conducts its operations. We’ve seen that firsthand throughout other cities in the country and now it’s happening here,” Young said.
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