US Citizen Student Detained by ICE During School Lunch Break
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have detained a teenage US citizen during his school lunch break in Oregon, sparking outrage and raising serious questions about immigration enforcement practices. The incident occurred on Friday when 17-year-old Christian Jimenez, a senior at McMinnville High School, was driving his father's vehicle during his lunch period.
Confrontation and Detention Despite Citizenship Claims
According to his brother Cesar Jimenez, who spoke to Oregon Live, Christian was stopped by ICE agents around 12:30pm. Despite repeatedly asserting that he was an American citizen, the situation escalated dramatically when one officer broke the driver's side window to detain him. A video shared with media outlets reportedly captures Christian declaring his citizenship while an officer responds with "get out of the car" and "I don't care."
The high school student was subsequently taken to the ICE facility in south Portland and held until his release shortly before 7pm the same day. In a concerning development, authorities are now attempting to charge Christian with "interference or obstruction of investigation" following the traffic stop incident.
School Response and Wider Pattern of Detentions
McMinnville High School's superintendent, Kourtney Ferrua, addressed the situation in a message to families, confirming that the student had been off campus for lunch when detained. She emphasized that the school district maintains strict security protocols, noting that "students are only released to adults who are approved to pick them up" and that unauthorized individuals cannot enter school premises during the day.
Ferrua expressed concern about the emotional impact on students, writing: "The experience of an emotional event such as this one can have an impact on all of our students. Our goal is to keep our schools running as a safe and predictable routine."
The incident appears to be part of a broader pattern, with immigrant advocacy organization Unidos Bridging Community reporting that ICE detained four US citizens near Portland this week, including Jimenez and two individuals who were recording officers. Executive director Miriam Vargas Corona revealed that six people were detained on Friday alone - four in McMinnville, one in Dundee, and one in Newberg - with another arrest occurring in Newberg on Thursday.
