Oregon Preschool Seeks Legal Protection After Father Arrested by ICE While Dropping Off Two-Year-Old

An Oregon school and two national teacher unions are seeking protection from immigration enforcement and have joined a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Two national teacher unions with 4.8 million members nationwide, and the Guidepost Montessori preschool and daycare in Beaverton, joined the lawsuit following the arrest and detention of an Iranian father when he was dropping off his two-year-old toddler.

ICE Agents Smashed the Father’s Car Window

Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, a practicing chiropractor, was detained by ICE agents at the preschool on July 15. When Khanbabazadeh questioned why agents wanted him to roll down the window of his car, pointing out that he had a baby on board, they smashed it, as evidenced by a dash cam video.

In the lawsuit, the National Education Association claims that student absenteeism has increased, as well as student misbehavior, while educators are suffering from stress and anxiety since the event.

The American Federation of Teachers has non-citizens with temporary protection status in the U.S. as members, as well as visa holders and others living in households with mixed immigration statuses.

Members are now more cautious when picketing or attending public actions or rallies on behalf of the union. The lawsuit claims that this restricts their rights to express and advocate for themselves.

Guidepost Montessori School Staff Join Lawsuit

The additional plaintiffs are the head of the preschool, Amy Lomanto, the assistant school head, Hanna Mae Anderson, the toddler lead guide, Lauren Fogg, and a parent and immigration lawyer, Caroline Keating Medeiros.

Lomanto claims there were at least seven masked officers and enforcement vehicles during the school’s morning drop-off, and that an officer grabbed her by the arm, causing severe bruising, because she was filming the incident.

An amendment to the lawsuit states that Republican and Democratic administrations have, for many years, advocated the importance of protecting places of worship, healthcare clinics, schools, and community-based organizations from immigration enforcement.

This practice was overturned in January, when Donald Trump became President of the U.S.

The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene.