Oshkosh Teacher, an ‘Employee of the Year,’ Detained by ICE

Oshkosh Area School District Superintendent Bryan Davis presents Wendy Mendez, right, with an “employee of the year” award in 2025. Source: Oshkosh Area School District YouTube

An Oshkosh middle school teacher has been detained by federal immigration authorities after being ordered to leave the country.

Wendy Mendez moved to Wisconsin from Costa Rica in 2020 with her husband and two sons. She is a Spanish teacher at Vel Phillips Middle School, and was recognized as an “employee of the year” by the Oshkosh Area School District last year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, arrested Mendez on Oct. 14 in Milwaukee, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The statement said Mendez came to the country legally “on a temporary basis” six years ago and “failed to depart” in 2021. According to federal officials, Mendez was placed into removal proceedings in February and was ordered to be removed in September for failing to show up for an immigration hearing.

But one of Mendez’s friends says Mendez missed the hearing because federal immigration officials mailed a hearing notice to an old address.

Deb Nez, the friend of Mendez, wrote on social media that the notice was sent to a three-year-old address and that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had Mendez’s correct address “within days” of the family moving into their home.

“This was not the first time that USCIS had made that mistake,” Nez wrote on Oct. 22.

Mendez’s story was first reported by the Advance-Titan, the independent student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Nez wrote that Mendez had been forced to sleep on concrete floors and had been moved to six detention centers in eight days.

The Department of Homeland Security’s statement said Mendez will “remain in custody pending her removal from the United States.”

The agency added that “being in detention is a choice,” saying the federal government is offering $3,000 and a free flight to individuals who self-deport.

“We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream,” the statement read. “If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

The Oshkosh Area School District sent a letter to Vel Phillips Middle School families following Mendez’s detainment, saying she would be “out of the classroom for the foreseeable future” due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

The Oct. 26 letter said Mendez is an employee in good standing and had been placed on unpaid leave. The district also said Mendez’s leave of absence was not related to school safety or her performance.

“We know this situation brings heartbreak, frustration, and worry for many in our community,” the letter reads.

Wendy Mendez, right, hugs a student after receiving an “employee of the year” award from the Oshkosh Area School District. Source: Oshkosh Area School District YouTube

In an email, a spokesperson for the Oshkosh school district said the district does not comment on confidential employee matters. But the spokesperson confirmed Mendez is in good standing with the district.

“Our primary focus remains on supporting our students and staff and keeping learning moving forward in our classrooms,” the spokesperson said.

Mendez was recognized by the Oshkosh Area School District in the 2024-25 school year as one of the district’s employees of the year. She was recognized as an interpreter.

In a video posted to the district’s YouTube page in April 2025, Oshkosh Superintendent Bryan Davis is seen walking into Mendez’s classroom to give her the award. As Davis hands her a balloon and a large mug, Mendez becomes emotional.

Oshkosh School Board member Molly Smiltneek issued a statement Monday night, expressing frustration over Mendez’s detention by ICE.

“This is not normal. This is not a personnel issue. This is not a political issue,” she said. “This is a human issue. I know there are a lot of people, kids and adults, in our community who are hurting, sad and trying to make sense of the sudden disappearance of an important person in their lives.”

“And there is a mother, a teacher, a leader, a role-model, neighbor, a human being, an employee of the year who was torn away from all she built and valued,” Smiltneek added.

On Oct. 25, Nez wrote on social media that Mendez was “safe and doing okay,” but was “recovering from the horrid experience she went through” both mentally and emotionally.

“This is not the end of the road for Wendy,” Nez wrote. “There is still a long and expensive legal battle ahead, with significant legal fees and uncertainty about what comes next.”

Contact information for Mendez’s legal representation was not immediately available.

In response to Mendez’s detention, a local nonprofit will host a “vigil for the missing” on Friday at 6 p.m. in downtown Oshkosh.

Oshkosh teacher, former ‘employee of the year,’ detained by ICE was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.