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DENVER (KDVR) — A charter school in Parker said one of its teachers and her family were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend. Global Village Academy Douglas County, located on Ponderosa Drive in Parker, shared a statement from its principal, Stacy Bush, on Tuesday. "We are aware of the situation involving one of our teachers who, along with her family members including minor children, were detained by Immigration & Customs Enforcement and transferred to an ICE detention facility in Texas over the weekend," the school said. FOX31 asked for comment from ICE and received this statement. "Marina Ortiz-Abollaneda, 43, is an illegal alien from Peru who entered the country Dec. 2, 2022 near Yuma, Arizona and was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. She was subsequently paroled and released on her own recognizance," ICE told FOX31. "Ortiz-Abollaneda was taken into ICE Denver custody on Oct. 24, 2025. She will be held in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings." ICE did not say anything about Ortiz-Abollanedo's children. According to the teacher's LinkedIn, she teaches Spanish at the school. The school bills itself as an international charter school online and says it ensures students become fluent in English and a second language before graduating. The school said in its statement that it is not enrolled in the voluntary E-Verify program, a web-based system operated by the Social Security Administration and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The system electronically compares records with those from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration. Instead, the school said it completes I-9 Employment Verification forms and inspects the required employment authorization documentation for all employees as required by federal law. "We also conduct a Colorado Bureau of Investigations background check for all our school employees, including this individual," the principal wrote. "We completed both the I-9 verification process and CBI background check with this employee, as required by law. This employee has a valid employment authorization document, authorizing her lawful employment in the United States, with any U.S. employer through the spring of 2029." FOX31 has reached out to the Douglas County Board of Education for comment, but has not yet heard back. Douglas County School Board Member Susan Meek posted online about the news, saying it "fills me with deep concern." "Our schools are meant to be places of trust, safety, and opportunity. When someone who contributes to our shared mission of educating children is suddenly taken away, it sends a chilling message to the many families in our district who live each day with fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability," Meek said. She advocated for the board building a community that ensures "every person — regardless of immigration status — feels that they belong, that they are respected, and that they matter."
