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Multiple parents of students at Ypsilanti Community Schools were detained by ICE agents on Tuesday, according to a letter sent to the district by Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross.
The arrests came after reports of ICE activity in Ypsilanti, specifically around the school campus, though the letter did not specify which school or schools were specifically targeted. The letter also did not indicate that any students were detained.
“Our district policy remains unchanged. We do not voluntarily cooperate with ICE, nor do we grant them access to our school buildings or property without a proper judicial warrant,” Zachery-Ross wrote in the letter, adding that the district is working with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office to monitor the campus borders.
The arrests reportedly took place at a bus stop in Ypsilanti during student drop-off times, said Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer in a statement to MLive. The number of arrests made was not public as of the time of publication, and Dyer said it can be difficult to confirm as ICE does not provide notice to local law enforcement.
“There are no words to fully capture the pain, fear and disruption this causes for our scholars and their loved ones,” Zachery-Ross wrote. “To see our families targeted in this way is a violation of the sense of safety that every member of our community deserves. We stand in absolute solidarity with those who have been impacted.”
A spokesperson for ICE did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Editor’s note, Jan. 29, 2026: An ICE spokesperson told multiple media outlets Thursday that agents did not target schools or bus stops. Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer had earlier this week said in a statement that while ICE activity did not occur on school grounds, “it appears that parents were targeted at a bus stop in Ypsilanti during student drop-off times,” the Detroit Free Press reported.
Katherine Dailey is a reporter for Michigan Advance. Katherine can be reached at kdailey@michiganadvance.com.
