A mother and her son were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near a school in Tempe and later transferred to a detention facility in Texas, according to school district officials.
The incident occurred Tuesday near Cecil Shamley School, located in the Tempe Elementary School District. District officials said federal agents and the parent were present in the neighborhood near the school, but the detention did not take place on school grounds.
School administrators said the parent signed the student out of school through standard procedures before leaving the campus area. Officials also confirmed that federal agents never entered school property.
In response to the incident, the school modified its eighth-grade promotion ceremony. Parents were not permitted to attend the event, though younger students were allowed to participate. School officials said the decision was made with student and staff safety in mind.
The mother and son were later transferred to the Dilley Immigration Center in Texas, according to statements from members of Congress.
Greg Stanton criticized the detention, saying the family should have been celebrating the student’s promotion rather than being held in immigration custody. Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro also confirmed the pair’s presence in Texas and expressed concerns about conditions at the detention facility.
The case has attracted attention amid ongoing national debates over immigration enforcement and family detention policies. No additional details about the family’s immigration status or legal proceedings have been publicly released.
