Targeting a child, taking them away from their community and classmates, and forcing them into detention is despicable.
It is inhumane,” Rep. Juan Vargas said after an 8-year-old Haitian boy was taken into custody by immigration agents during a routine appointment in downtown San Diego.
The neatly dressed third grader, wearing a pressed button-down white shirt and slacks, was led away by three ICE officers on Nov. 4, 2026, according to video footage obtained by NBC San Diego from a volunteer observer. The boy was separated from his cousins and uncle, who had been caring for him since his father was deported the previous year.
Guerline Jozef, executive director of the immigrant rights advocacy group Haitian Bridge Alliance, stated that the uncle followed all established rules. Despite this cooperation, the child was taken into custody and transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which handles minors deemed unaccompanied.
Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said “the child was taken into custody and subsequently transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.”
The boy, a student at Fay Elementary School, lost his humanitarian protections this summer after a Supreme Court ruling allowed President Donald Trump to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. TPS had shielded hundreds of thousands of people from deportation following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, a nation where gangs now control a majority of the capital following the 2021 assassination of the president.
Following the termination of TPS, the child received an official letter summoning him to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. School district officials noted that the uncle brought the boy to the downtown federal building because he wanted to comply with the law.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that a man claiming to be the uncle brought the child to the check-in, but agents determined he could not establish legal guardianship. ICE concluded that removing the boy from the household was necessary out of an abundance of caution to ensure his safety.
A Haitian 8-year-old was taken by #ICE at routine check-in, rattling a San Diego school district. The #SchoolDistrict and immigration said the boy was separated from his cousins and uncle, who was taking care of him after his father was deported last year.https://t.co/d401Oijk7y
The Office of Refugee Resettlement declined to comment on the specific case, citing privacy policies protecting children in its custody. Federal data shows the third grader is among 1,640 children currently under HHS care, while immigration authorities have taken more than 8,000 children into custody over the past year.
Vargas’s office reported that the family does not know where the child is being held, and congressional staff are assisting them in locating him. Meanwhile, DHS disputed allegations that the boy was placed in detention, labeling those claims as false.
DHS also stated that the child was brought into the United States unlawfully by a man claiming to be his father, who was subsequently removed to Mexico by Customs and Border Protection rather than ICE.
James Canning, a spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District, stated that educators have noted a general sense of concern for the student’s safety and wellbeing. The district dispatched additional crisis counselors to Fay Elementary School to support third-grade classmates who expressed fear and distress over their friend’s disappearance.
Neither DHS nor HHS has responded to a formal letter sent by school district officials asking federal agencies to reconsider how immigration enforcement policies affect enrolled students.
More on Guerline Jozef
A Haitian 8-year-old was taken by ICE at routine check-in, rattling a San Diego school district • The school district and immigration advocates said the boy was separated from his cousins and uncle, who was taking care of him after his father was… https://t.co/ssB0sDqVHq
8-Year-Old Haitian Boy Taken Into ICE Custody During Routine Immigration Appointment https://t.co/KEBuWJ52hm
