Dad Awaiting Green Card Arrested by ICE as He Drops Off Kid at Preschool

Newsweek

2 days ago

Immigration officials on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old Iranian father who is in the process of obtaining a green card, while he was dropping off his child at a preschool in Oregon.
He has been identified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as Mahdi Khanbabazadeh.
Tyler Burns, whose two daughters also attend Guidepost Montessori preschool in Beaverton, Oregon, described the arrest as "super aggressive" to Newsweek and said immigration officers broke Khanbabazadeh's car window outside the school.
Maris Mendes, CEO of Guidepost Global Education, called Tuesday's arrest "deeply upsetting" in an email to Newsweek, saying, "It is not lost on us how frightening and confusing this experience may have been for those involved—especially for the young children who may have witnessed it while arriving at school with their parents."
Newsweek has reached out to U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
Khanbabazadeh's arrest comes amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration and inflamed U.S. relations with Iran. The U.S. struck three of Iran's nuclear sites—Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz in June—and Iran countered by blasting a U.S. base in Qatar.
President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. The initiative has seen an intensification of ICE raids across the country, with thousands of people having been swept up and arrested. Shortly after taking office, Trump threw out DHS policies to limit where ICE arrests can take place, granting ICE the right to conduct raids in places of worship, schools, and hospitals.
ICE has faced increasing criticism in recent months for permitting its agents to conduct immigration enforcement operations while wearing plain clothes and face coverings, as well as showing up in unmarked cars. Officials maintain that masks are necessary to protect agents' identities and shield their families from death threats.
What To Know
Around 8:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, Burns was entering the school's parking lot to drop off his daughters and noticed it unusually full. He described seeing officials, some in masks, in "unmarked" cars and noted a sense of "aggression" in the way they approached.
He said he went inside to the head of school's office, who was "unaware that police were there." After dropping his daughters off in their class, Burns came back outside, saw between five to 10 cars, "heard screaming," and described the officers actions as "super aggressive."
"Then I heard the glass break of them breaking his window. And then, I saw them pull him out of his car and they put him up pretty aggressively against his car and handcuffed him," Burns said.
Burns added, "He wasn't resisting, he was in shock and he was trying to communicate to his wife," who Burns said was with him at the time. He said Khanbabazadeh's child was not with his parents at the time of the arrest.
Khanbabazadeh is now detained in the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, according to the ICE detention database.
Caroline Keating Medeiros, who is also a parent at the school as well as an immigration attorney, said that Khanbabazadeh came to the U.S. on a valid student and graduated in March 2021. He then transitioned to optional practical training (OPT), which is temporary employment.
"He married a US citizen that July and filed both the I-130 and I-485," she said, noting, "The I-130 has been approved, and the I-485 is still pending. They had their green card interview four months ago and were waiting on the final decision when all of this happened."
An ICE spokesperson told local outlet OBP that he lawfully entered the U.S. in 2017, but overstayed his student visa.
Khanbabazadeh works as a chiropractor in the area, with his Instagram account stating he treats "headache, neck and low back pains," as well as "auto accident and work related injuries."
Amid heightened fears of potential terror cells, the Department of Homeland Security arrested 11 Iranian citizens who were in the U.S. illegally in June.
What People Are Saying
Burns also told Newsweek:"This is a parent who is a contributor to his community and is mild-mannered, nothing but you know, a great father and attentive. He lives the same routine that many parents do every single day and it's unfair that he would be approached with such aggression in such an unfair way. It's disgusting."
Mendes also told Newsweek in her emailed statement: "The events that took place at our South Beaverton campus have been deeply upsetting to our entire community. As educators and caregivers, we are grounded in the belief that children deserve to feel safe, supported, and protected—especially in the places they come to learn and grow."
The statement continued, "While we are still working to understand the full scope of what happened, we are approaching this moment with care and urgency. We're supporting the family directly affected, standing behind our staff, and looking closely at how we can safeguard the emotional and physical security of every child in our schools. We understand that this incident raises broader questions about how law enforcement actions intersect with school environments."
Angel Ignacio, Guidepost Global Education's northwest regional manager, told Newsweek in an emailed statement Thursday: "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 well-being 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."
An ICE spokesperson told local outlet KGW8 that ICE officers first tried to arrest him during a traffic stop but he asked to drop his child off at the school:"Officers allowed him to proceed to the daycare parking lot where he stopped cooperating, resisted arrest and refused to exit his vehicle, resulting in ICE officers making entry by breaking one of the windows to complete the arrest."
What Happens Next
The community is outraged over the detention and the manner in which it was executed. The next steps in Khanbabazadeh's case remain unclear.