A Georgia mother's worst nightmare became reality when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested her husband just steps away from their children during a Sunday church service.
The man, Wilson Rogelio Velasquez Cruz, was taken into custody outside Iglesia Fuente de Vida in Tucker, Georgia, while his family remained inside.
Mother Kenia Colindres told local news that her husband received a call during the service but did not answer. Moments later, his Immigration GPS ankle monitor began to sound an alarm. Concerned about the disruption, she suggested he step outside to check the device. As soon as he did, ICE officers were waiting to detain him, according to WSBTV.
Colindres revealed that her family fled Honduras two years ago to escape violence and sought asylum at the U.S. border.
Upon arrival, Velasquez Cruz was issued an Immigration GPS ankle monitor, a condition of his status that ICE officials say is assigned on a case-by-case basis. However, authorities have not disclosed to local news the reason he was required to wear it.
Despite their uncertain immigration status, the couple had been working toward the American dream.
Velasquez Cruz had a work permit that was good for five years, and he was employed at a tire shop, Colindres explained.
She added that her husband had never been in trouble and is a devoted father of faith. Now, she fears for their future, as Velasquez Cruz was the sole provider for their household while she stayed home to care for their three children.
According to attorney Peter Tadeo, Trump's immigration crackdown is expediting removals for recent asylum seekers.
"That's scary for a lot of people that entered that way because most of those people haven't been here for two years," Tadeo told WSBTV, explaining that those in the US for less than two years are at heightened risk of deportation.
Colindres was able to speak with her husband on Monday, only to receive devastating news. He told her he wouldn't be able to appeal his case to a judge and that he was being transferred to Stewart Detention Center before being deported.
For families like hers, separation fears weigh heavy, as during Trump's first term, about 5,500 children were separated from their parents under similar policies, as reported by NBC News.
To carry out his latest campaign promises, Trump would either have to separate more than 4 million US-born children from their immigrant parents or unlawfully deport these children.
Since Trump's return to the Oval Office, more than 3,500 undocumented individuals have been arrested, with over 1,000 detained on Tuesday alone. Under Biden, the daily average of arrests was around 310.
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