Immigration arrests outside schools and other community gathering places in Southern California are creating fear among immigrant families, a San Diego workers’ rights advocate said in a Sept. 29 broadcast interview. Alor Calderon, executive director of the Employee Rights Center in San Diego, said ICE officers have made arrests as parents drop children off at preschool and elementary schools, and the agency has also been present at San Diego City College. Calderon called the arrests “unconscionable and amoral” and described the situation as a “state of terror.” ICE made nearly 2,000 arrests in San Diego in July, three times the number recorded in July 2025, according to figures discussed in the interview. On Sept. 9, San Diego Unified School District officials and local authorities issued a joint statement condemning arrests near schools. They said the effects reach beyond the person detained: children may witness enforcement, while anxiety spreads through classrooms, playgrounds and neighborhoods. The Employee Rights Center, a nonprofit that provides legal services on employment and labor issues, says the consequences of enforcement activity near schools can weigh especially heavily on young students and their families.