PHILADELPHIA — The Lindenwold School District reported Thursday that fourth- and fifth-grade students waiting at a bus stop ran away in a panic when an ICE operation occurred nearby.

The incident happened in the morning as the students were waiting to take a bus to school from the Woodland Village Apartments, the district said in a statement.

“The presence of multiple enforcement vehicles caused significant fear and confusion, and several students ran from the bus stop. Our bus driver acted quickly and responsibly, circling back multiple times to ensure as many children as possible were safely transported to school,” the district said, also thanking the bus driver.

A Ring video from the apartment complex provided to some news outlets shows the children running with some shouting: “ICE! ICE!”

“Upon arrival to school, many children were understandably upset and emotional,” the district said.

“All students currently in school are safe,” the district said. “ICE Agents are NOT at the Lindenwold School District.”

A district leader reached out to county and state representatives to alert them about the incident and to advocate for protocols that prioritize the safety of children during any future ICE operations, the district said.

“Our students deserve to feel safe while waiting for their school bus and while attending school each day,” the district said.

A spokesperson for ICE could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Lindenwold has been among several communities in Camden County that have been subject to ICE operations.

County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement Thursday night that “the absolute chaos sowed by this ICE operation in Lindenwold this morning was appalling.”

Cappelli added that “we are short on facts and details about the intentions of ICE,” however at some point ICE called 911 to request local police assistance.

“That said, the impact and fear that struck the children of our county was painful to watch and I can’t imagine the anxiety and trauma that came from this incident,” Cappelli said.

He added, “as a community, segments of our population are being terrorized and scared to leave their homes. This is no way for any of us to live.”

County Commissioner Jonathan Young said in a statement: “As a former Lindenwold resident I’m disgusted to watch the videos of children running in absolute terror along a busy county thoroughfare.”

Young said that “no one wants criminals in their community,” but added that “under Trump, ICE has been inhumane in how it conducts its operations. We’ve seen that first hand throughout other cities in the country and now it’s happening here.”

Before the incident Thursday morning, an “ICE Out of Lindenwold” protest had already been announced for Friday afternoon at the Lindenwold Borough Hall.

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