(WXYZ) — The Washtenaw County sheriff is now clarifying statements she made earlier this week regarding reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting parents near bus stops in Ypsilanti.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia M. Dyer said Thursday that she had a conversation with ICE leadership, who told her they did not do any enforcement on school grounds or at school bus stops, nor will they.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SHERIFF DYER BELOW:
"I think the point of contention is if any of the enforcement activity that they did on Tuesday happened near a school or near a bus stop, and I said in my post, it's hard to confirm because they don't communicate. And since then, you know, this morning I was able to have a conversation with immigration leadership, and in that conversation, they were able to provide more information," said Sheriff Dyer. "And I do not believe that they intentionally did any enforcement near any school bus stops ... they also have said that they will continue not going on school grounds. And so I think that is important for the public to know, and they do not have any plans to do any kind of targeted school enforcement or any enforcement at bus stops."
Dyer said that ICE has agreed to better communicate in the future when they have activity in Washtenaw County.
This all stems from a Facebook post from Dyer saying there were reports of agents targeting parents near a bus stop in Ypsilanti during student drop-off times.
Watch the previous report from Simon Shaykhet in the video player below:
When asked why she made the post when she did, Sheriff Dyer said she wanted to get information out there that they were not on school grounds to prevent other rumors from spreading.
"I felt it was really important to make sure the public knew that they were not on any school property and they weren't on school grounds. And then, you know, all of the reports that they were near bus stops or there was enforcement activity happening ... near communities where school kids might be getting dropped off, I felt that it's important to validate that those were concerns. And also, you know, which another reason I made clear in my post is it's hard to confirm details," said Sheriff Dyer.
Before we spoke with Sheriff Dyer on Thursday, ICE fired back on the reports of parents being targeted at bus stops, calling them "lies."
“ICE does NOT target schools for enforcement actions or bus stop locations. To be clear, NO children were present during these arrests," an ICE spokesperson said in a statement to 7 News Detroit.
ICE said its officers initiated vehicle stops after watching two vehicles leave a targeted residence and detained Delmy Yamileth Molina Vasquez and Gissel Alejandra Pavon Nunes, Carolina Hernandez-Aviles and Elder Alberto Veliz-Mencia. ICE said they will all remain in custody pending immigration proceedings.
Read the full statement from ICE below:
“ICE does NOT target schools for enforcement actions or bus stop locations. To be clear, NO children were present during these arrests. ICE officers were conducting targeted operations seeking to apprehend illegal aliens with final orders of removal from the United States, Jan. 27, 2026. During the intelligence-based operation, ICE officers observed two vehicles leave the target’s residence and initiated a vehicle stop. During the vehicle encounter, officers encountered Delmy Yamileth Molina Vasquez and Gissel Alejandra Pavon Nunes, both illegal aliens from Honduras and Carolina Hernandez-Aviles an illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal. All three illegal aliens entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s catch and release policies. During the second vehicle encounter, officers detained Elder Alberto Veliz-Mencia an illegal alien from Honduras. All of the illegal aliens remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings and will receive full due process.” “Lies like these are just another reason why our officers are grappling with a 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks and a staggering 8,000% uptick in death threats.” “We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."
If anyone needs support or resources, the sheriff notes they can call the WICIR hotline for immigration-related emergencies at 734-355-2707.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report below:
Ypsilanti Community Schools also sent a letter to district families regarding the reports earlier this week, saying “Ypsilanti Community Schools remains a safe sanctuary for all scholars.”
Read the full letter below:
