ENCINITAS — As students return to classrooms this fall, some Encinitas families remain separated following recent federal immigration enforcement actions.
Several Encinitas Union School District families have been affected by recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, leaving parents detained or deported.
The Capri Elementary School community was “shaken” in late June after two parents of Capri students were detained by ICE in separate incidents, according to community member Bill Shen, who organized a GoFundMe campaign to support one of the families.
One of the parents, Angel, was detained while driving to work.
In the fundraiser, Shen wrote that “Angel, a devoted father in our school family, was detained by ICE. Overnight, his wife Mercelia was left to care for their two young children, including a baby at home, without the partner who had been the family’s only source of income.”
A second fundraiser states that another Capri parent, Esmerelda, a single mother, was also detained while on her way to work.
“The community is startled by the fact that you have two young kids who literally just don’t know if their parents are going to come back,” Shen said.
Angel was released July 17 and reunited with his wife and daughter, who is preparing to enter second grade, though his immigration case remains active. Esmerelda, however, was later deported to El Salvador, according to the fundraiser.
ICE spokesperson Sandra Grisolia declined to comment on recent ICE activity in North County.
“At this time we will not be able to accommodate your request,” Grisolia wrote in an email to The Coast News.
The incidents are the latest in a series of immigration enforcement actions in the Encinitas community over the past year.
Last August, federal immigration agents detained the parent of an Encinitas elementary school student near Park Dale Lane Elementary School while he was driving to work, prompting protests, emergency discussions by the Encinitas City Council and a districtwide letter of support from Encinitas Union School District Superintendent Andrée Grey.
Two days later, ICE agents detained two additional men near the same intersection in front of community members who had gathered to protest the earlier arrest. Since then, city officials have adopted a “Know Your Rights” campaign, submitted Freedom of Information Act requests seeking information about ICE operations and explored additional measures to support affected families.
ICE officials at the time disputed some accounts of the enforcement actions and provided additional details about the people arrested.
Enforcement and Removal Operations San Diego Field Office Director Patrick Divver identified one of the men detained as Yohan Diaz, who he said had a criminal history that included child cruelty, assault with a deadly weapon, battery on a peace officer, obstruction of a public officer, vandalism and driving under the influence.
“When officers moved in to arrest Diaz, they were met with interference from members of the public who unsafely and unnecessarily forced themselves into a law enforcement scene. Diaz violently resisted arrest and continued to become so combative that officers were forced to fully restrain him, including securing his legs, to protect officer safety and the public. Diaz is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” Divver said.
Divver identified another man arrested as Limber Hernandez-Verudgo, who he said was a Mexican national who had entered the United States illegally and was taken into ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Regarding the earlier detention near Park Dale Lane Elementary School, Divver said the man was alone in his vehicle when ICE officers stopped him and that a woman and child arrived separately during the detention. He said the man was a Guatemalan national who had been subject to a final order of removal since 2017.
The San Diego Field Office also emphasized that the enforcement action did not take place at Park Dale Lane Elementary and was “entirely out of view” of the school.
“The truth of the matter is that ICE San Diego has not conducted enforcement at schools, and suggestions to the contrary mislead the public and create unnecessary fear. ICE San Diego remains committed to enforcing federal immigration law while ensuring the safety of the community and our officers,” Divver previously told The Coast News.
Immigration concerns also drew widespread attention in November 2025, when more than 50 supporters gathered outside a federal courthouse in San Diego for Norberto Ambrosio Sr., the longtime owner of Just Peachy Market in Leucadia.
A federal immigration judge postponed Ambrosio’s removal case until May 2026, giving him additional time to update his cancellation-of-removal application after a case that had been administratively closed in 2019 was reopened.
Earlier this year, concerns resurfaced after federal immigration agents were seen in the parking lot of the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station. Sheriff’s officials said the agents were not operating with the department’s knowledge or assistance.
More recently, another North County resident with ties to Capri Elementary was detained.
Gio Altamirano, an Encinitas resident and employee at the Chart House in Cardiff, was detained while driving to work on the morning of July 12, according to a GoFundMe organized by Heidi Ledger.
According to the fundraiser, Altamirano moved to Encinitas with his family at age 8 and attended Capri Elementary beginning in second grade.
“Gio is indeed the father of a young son in the Encinitas school district,” Ledger said. “His family is devastated and working diligently to navigate a very flawed immigration system.”
Ledger said community support has helped the family as they work through the legal process.
ICE has reported that more than 16,000 San Diego County residents were subject to immigration enforcement actions between January and April 2026.
As those enforcement actions continue, Shen said neighbors have rallied around affected families by raising money and providing support during an uncertain time.
“It provide(s) them with the stability, especially with the kids,” Shen said. “While they’re navigating … our legal system.”
Ledger encouraged residents to continue speaking out.
“I would encourage residents of our town to thoughtfully consider the difference between morality and legality — and remember that many of our neighbors are scared even to go outside,” Ledger said. “We are witnessing obscene violations of human rights and a complete breakdown of human decency.”
Shen said supporting families transcends politics.
“Regardless of your views on immigration and on national politics, I think it’s just tragic when families are literally being separated and being torn apart,” Shen said.
