10-year-old recounts fleeing as ICE operation unfolded in New Jersey near school bus stop: “We all were scared”

A 10-year-old boy recounted fleeing Thursday morning as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation began near his school bus stop in Lindenwold, New Jersey, saying, “We all were scared.” 

Dylan, who is a U.S. citizen, told CBS News it started as a normal day — until he heard his classmates suddenly start shouting “ICE.”

“Out of nowhere, people just start running, saying that ICE is over there, and everybody was running,” Dylan said. 

He told CBS News that agents started following him as he ran home. In a home security video, Dylan is seen frantically banging on the door, pleading for his mom to let him in. He said he was afraid ICE was trying get inside his home. 

Doorbell video from Woodland Village Apartments on Clementon-Gibbsboro Road shows children running through the parking lot on Thursday morning. The Lindenwold School District said fourth- and fifth-graders were waiting at their bus stop when an ICE operation began at the complex.

The target of the investigation was reportedly the parent of one of the students at the bus stop.

CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. 

“The presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion, and several students ran from the bus stop,” the district told families in a social media post Thursday morning. “Our bus driver acted quickly and responsibly, circling back multiple times to ensure as many children as possible were safely transported to school.”

“ICE Agents are NOT at the Lindenwold School District,” the district added.

Community members in New Jersey gathered Friday afternoon to protest ICE. New Jersey Rep. Donald Norcross demanded more transparency, saying, “DHS has to come forward, be transparent. If you’re doing ‘the right thing,’ then there should be no problem.”

Dylan, like many others at the school, said the incident is hard to talk about “because I feel like they’re just going to come out of nowhere and take my parents.” 

Maria, a U.S. citizen whose children attend the local school, has lived in the area for more than a decade. She told CBS News the incident follows increased ICE activity in the neighborhood. 

“There’s a lot of kids right now, they’re traumatized, they don’t want to go to school,” Maria said. 

The school district said it’s providing counseling to any students who need it.