Iranian illegal immigrant arrested by ICE in parking lot of Oregon daycare

Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, a 38-year-old chiropractor, was pulled over by ICE during a traffic stop on July 15 for being unlawfully present in the United States. He reportedly asked ICE agents for permission to drop his child off at a daycare in Beaverton, which was granted. However, after arriving at the Guidepost Montessori School parking lot, ICE said Khanbabazadeh became uncooperative.

"Officers attempted to arrest Khanbabazadeh during a traffic stop when he requested permission to drop his child off at daycare," ICE spokesperson David Yost told The Post Millennial in a statement. "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. His child was unharmed."

According to ICE, Khanbabazadeh legally entered the United States but overstayed his visa. He is reportedly married to a US citizen, immigration attorney Caroline Medeiros told OPB.

"ICE is in a unique position to enforce immigration laws of the US in the nation's interior with its broad investigatory authorities and law enforcement capabilities. As part of its routine operations, ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws," said Yost. "All aliens in violation of US immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention, and if found removable by final order, removed from the US, regardless of nationality."

Angel Ignacio, Northwest regional manager for Guidepost Global Education, said the school went into a "soft lockdown to ensure the safety of all students and staff," according to an email sent to parents.

"We are deeply disturbed by what took place in our South Beaverton school parking lot," Ignacio wrote in an email. "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."

Previous immigration enforcement guidance enacted in 2011 advised against federal authorities making arrests in "sensitive locations," including schools, churches, and hospitals. However, the Trump administration recently gave ICE the green light to make lawful apprehensions in such places.

Khanbabazadeh's apprehension comes as ICE has been working to identify Iranian nationals subject to removal following the United States' bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in June, citing national security concerns.

Since early June, the ICE field office in Portland, which is located roughly 10 miles from Beaverton, has been under siege by anarchist militants. More than 20 protesters have been federally charged with a variety of offenses allegedly committed during their participation in the ongoing Antifa occupation outside the ICE facility. Charges have included assaulting federal police officers with deadly weapons, arson, blinding officers with high-powered lasers, and refusing lawful orders.

"ICE respects the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest; however, assaulting, resisting, impeding, or harassing ICE officers and special agents or interfering in any way as they are executing their official duty is against the law," ICE spokesperson David Yost told The Post Millennial. "If any person assaults a federal law enforcement officer, they risk being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Despite the ongoing riots at the ICE facility in Portland, ICE has continued conducting immigration enforcement operations in Oregon, primarily targeting public safety threats. ICE ERO Seattle, which oversees Washington state, Oregon, and Alaska, reported several recent arrests made in Oregon:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday reported a more than 800 percent increase in attacks on ICE agents across the nation since President Trump took office in January and enacted mass deportation operations. Border Czar Tom Homan announced last week that he would be traveling to Portland in response to the ongoing attacks on the ICE facility. He vowed to "double and triple" immigration enforcement operations in the sanctuary city as a result.