A routine law enforcement operation in D.C.’s Forest Hills neighborhood on Wednesday sparked rumors that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers had detained nannies on a nearby playground in front of children.
The rumors circulated widely and quickly on D.C.-area listservs on Wednesday, putting residents on edge after ICE officers visited at least nine District restaurants on Tuesday asking for employment verification.
But when News4 traveled to the playground and dug into the rumors, we found ICE was not there. Instead, the story started with local police making an unrelated arrest.
A mother at the playground told News4 one of the vehicles at the scene was a D.C. Police cruiser. News4 contacted D.C. Police, who explained they were assisting U.S. Marshals with an arrest at 4607 Connecticut Ave.
Dione Dorn, age 42, was arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 23-year-old Jaydon Parson on Feb. 18, police said.
According to one of the eyewitnesses interviewed by NBC News, the sight of a law enforcement officer holding a gun and getting into a van caused a panic, prompting a group of children and caretakers to leave the area.
It’s the latest sign of the fear that has gripped D.C. residents since ICE began moving through the city earlier this week.
Local immigrant advocates shared warnings on social media on Monday, one day ahead of the ICE agent visits to restaurants.
The owner of Millie’s, a popular Spring Valley neighborhood restaurant, expressed shock after federal agents visited the restaurant on Tuesday.
“It’s really crazy, you know it kind of feels like we’re not in the U.S.,” said Bo Blair, the owner of Millie’s. “That’s just was shocking to everybody today.”
Also on Tuesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the reports of ICE activity “disturbing,” and reaffirmed that the Metropolitan Police Department is not involved.
“It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals, and so it is disturbing,” Bowser said. “I want to be clear, this is not an MPD action, no MPD activity involved.”
NBC News investigative producer and story editor Sarah Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
