The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has been sparking controversy throughout the past few months due to its insensitive and immoral actions.
This past Sunday, ICE detained a man who was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital for a planned C-section. ICE had an outstanding warrant for the man’s arrest regarding his involvement in a homicide case in Mexico.
The man, Joel Arrona-Lara, and his wife, María del Carmen Venegas, stopped for gas in San Bernardino while they were en-route to the hospital. Two vehicles approached and surrounded the couple, according to surveillance footage. ICE officials then asked Arrona-Lara and Venegas for their identifications. Arrona-Lara was only able to present the ICE officials with his wife’s identification, as he had forgotten his own ID at home.
When the officials realized that Arrona-Lara had no identification, they took him out of his vehicle and forcefully placed him into custody. Venegas, who was notably unsettled by the situation, had to drive herself to the hospital. She later gave birth to her fifth son.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Venegas mentioned that neither she nor Arrona-Lara has legal authorization to live in the United States.
The couple moved to the country twelve years ago, and their five children were all born in the U.S.
Venegas expressed concern regarding her husband’s imprisonment, stating:
“We need him now more than ever.”
ICE later released a statement explaining its officials’ actions. The agency also detailed planned changes to its policies in the near future. The statement read:
ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. However, ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.”
Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons
