Two Homeland Security investigators walking into Cherryland Elementary School last Friday morning was enough to put Hayward officials and families on edge. The agents, looking for information about a student, served a subpoena, then walked back out, leaving behind a campus full of questions and a city already jittery after a week of federal activity near local schools.
What school officials say
Hayward Unified spokesperson Michael Bazeley told KTVU the two officers arrived around 9:30 a.m., presented a subpoena, and left after the district declined to release any student information. According to the district, the principal immediately followed protocol by contacting the superintendent's office, which in turn reached out to legal counsel. The subpoena was accepted, but no records were handed over.
The district stated that the campus was never placed on lockdown and that families were notified after the incident, a detail clearly intended to reassure parents already wary of seeing federal agents anywhere near a school.
Mayor and county leaders respond
Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas told ABC7 he was caught off guard by the visit and stressed that the visitors were Department of Homeland Security employees, not Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Based on the information I have, they were administering a subpoena for student records," Salinas said.
Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Márquez said she drove to the campus herself to confirm the agents were gone. She urged residents to keep an eye on the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership for real-time updates on any similar activity.
DHS says subpoena ties to marriage-fraud probe
In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the subpoena was issued "for evidence regarding an investigation for possible marriage fraud."
Monique Berlanga of the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership said she spotted two plain-clothes officers in the school lobby and later saw community members follow them as they went door to door in the surrounding neighborhood before leaving the area.
Broader context and community concern
The visit to Cherryland Elementary landed just two days after federal immigration activity near a West Oakland elementary school led to a car chase, a crash, and multiple school lockdowns that sparked protests from parents and teachers, according to ABC7. That earlier episode has only intensified demands from community groups and some local officials for clearer notice and stronger safeguards when federal investigators operate near school campuses.
What happens next
Hayward Unified has turned the subpoena over to its legal team, which will review it and determine whether any records must be produced, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. District leaders and advocates are urging families to keep know-your-rights information handy and to reach out to local rapid-response networks if they see federal enforcement activity in their neighborhoods.
Where to get help
Residents with concerns about federal immigration activity can contact the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP) to access the rapid-response hotline and legal resources. City and county officials say they plan to continue pressing for clearer communication whenever federal agents appear in communities that include schools.
