Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a man blocks away from an Encinitas school just before classes began Wednesday morning, sparking backlash among some community members and local leaders. The arrest, which was captured on video and posted on social media, happened about two blocks from Park Dale Lane Elementary at the corner of Parkdale Lane and Village Park Way. The arrest According to the video, the man was stopped in a white truck and arrested around 7:30 a.m., a half-hour before the school's scheduled start. Jessie Conn was there when the man, who has not been identified, was surrounded by several federal officers with vests. His wife was in another car with their daughter in the back seat, watching the incident transpire. People in the video can be heard asking officers for a warrant and pleading with officers to let the family say goodbye to the man who was being detained. Conn took the child into her arms. She told NBC 7 she was shocked by what she witnessed. “I just can’t believe that this is happening. I am so disgraced by how ICE got into our little town,” Conn said. "I mean, I can't unsee the child actually screaming... This is not the community to do this in." ICE Field Office Director Patrick Divver said agents were carrying out a targeted enforcement action against an undocumented Guatemalan man with a final order of removal from the U.S. since 2017. The man who was arrested was alone in his truck on the way to work, ICE said. Then, his wife and young child approached from the other direction. The Encinitas Union School District said the man was a parent of one of its students. How close is too close? NBC 7/Google Maps The arrest is the latest ICE operation to occur near a school in San Diego County. Earlier this month, people were detained near schools in Chula Vista and in Linda Vista. In part of a statement released Wednesday evening, ICE spokesperson Divver said: “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." For community members, the distance between the school and the arrest's location was far too close. School crossing guard Chris Emerson said she herded the kids away from the incident that she called "shocking" and "upsetting." She's now learning about the questions parents have been fielding. "The dad I spoke to said that yesterday, his kids were asking him if he was indeed an American citizen, like, 'Are you guys citizens? Is this going to happen?'" Emerson said, "And you know, that's not something a 7-year-old should be asking, I don’t think." The arrest conducted by federal agents left fear and anger in the hearts of many who saw the video and those who witnessed it firsthand. “You don’t think it is going to happen in a community like this, but the reality is, it's happening everywhere," a man who wished not to be identified and was with his wife at the time told NBC 7. His wife was recording the video. The couple now fears retribution. "They get targeted, whether it is on social media or people finding out their identity and harassing them, so I have concerns about myself and my family," he said. Local leaders chime in State Senator and former Encinitas mayor, Catherine Blakespear, said she was "horrified" when she saw video of the arrest and supports legislation to restrict enforcement around schools. "What this video shows, just like so many other videos, is a police state in which civil liberties and constitutional protections are brushed aside, and that any person can be apprehended on the street without probable cause for arrest," she said in a statement to constituents. The Encinitas Union School District reiterated in a letter to parents its commitment to providing a safe environment for all students, regardless of immigration status. Its policy prevents them from sharing information with immigration agents or from assisting in enforcement action, "except as required by state or federal law." In a letter to Encinitas Union School District parents, Superintendent Andrée Grey identified the man detained as a parent of one of its students. A spokesperson said the child does not attend Dale Lane Elementary. In part of a statement, the superintendent wrote: “As a District community, we are alarmed and disturbed by this event and its impact on children and families. EUSD stands firmly with every family in this community." Jeremy Ross, a family advocate, organized a demonstration outside the Encinitas City Council on Wednesday night. More than 100 people showed up. "As a community, we cannot allow that type of threatening, dangerous, scarring behavior anywhere near our schools," Ross said. “These seem to be, to me, illegal activities,” District 3 Councilmember and Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes said. The demonstration outside city council spilled into council chambers. Because of the arrest, Lyndes called for an emergency add onto the agenda. Residents spoke passionately about what they saw in that video. “We are really dying people from San Diego County, my people are literally in panic. They are terrified,” a resident said. “Every human being in this country has a constitutional right to be safe and not be harassed because of the color of their skin," another resident said.