An Oregon father was taken into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody while dropping off his child on 15 July at a preschool in the Portland-area town of Beaverton, the agency confirmed.
The man, identified by Ice as 38-year-old Iranian citizen Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, was arrested outside Guidepost Montessori school after being stopped by agents en route. An Ice spokesperson said in a statement that Khanbabazadeh entered the country legally but overstayed his visa.
The spokesperson said that after the traffic stop, officers allowed Khanbabazadeh to drive to the school to drop off his child, but there, he “stopped cooperating, resisted arrest and refused to exit his vehicle”. Officers broke a window during the arrest, and the child was not harmed, according to the spokesperson.
Caroline Medeiros, an immigration attorney whose child attends the same preschool as Khanbabazadeh’s, told local news that he was married to a US citizen, worked as a chiropractor and had already applied and interviewed for a green card.
The Guardian contacted Medeiros and has not yet received a response.
In a statement to the Guardian, Angel Ignacio, regional manager at Guidepost Global Education, said the organization was “deeply disturbed by what took place in our South Beaverton school parking lot 7/15/2025.
“While we are still working to understand the full details of the situation, we can confirm that a law enforcement action occurred during school hours and involved the apprehension of a parent by federal agents. Our first priority is the safety and emotional wellbeing of the children in our care. We are actively supporting the affected child and family, and we are providing our staff and families with resources to help them process this event with care and sensitivity,” Ignacio said.
“We are also reviewing the circumstances surrounding this incident and taking steps to ensure that our campuses remain a safe and secure environment for all members of our school community. Because this involves a federal law enforcement matter and private individuals, we are limited in what we can share further. We ask for compassion and respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
This was the first confirmed federal immigration arrest at an Oregon school, according to local news.
Ice agents have been historically blocked from making arrests at schools, places of worship, hospitals and other sensitive locations, but the Trump administration overturned the policy this year in its widespread crackdown on unlawful immigration.
The administration has said it is focused on removing violent criminals who are in the country unlawfully. However, research by the Cato Institute found that 93% of people arrested by Ice since October 2024 had no violent convictions, and 65% had no criminal convictions at all. Khanbabazadeh appears to have no criminal record.
Randy Kornfield, who was dropping off his four-year-old grandson at the Montessori school during Khanbabazadeh’s arrest, told local news he saw officers in police vests and unmarked cars “laying in wait” for the father and acting in a “cold and uncaring” manner.
Khanbabazadeh remains in Ice custody pending removal proceedings, according to the agency.
