Father with U visa detained by ICE outside clinic while driving daughter to doctor
Sep 27, 2026·Location: Santa Fe, NM

Edgar Chacon-Miranda, 45, a father with U visa protections and full legal custody of his children under a New Mexico family court order, was detained by ICE agents in the parking lot of La Familia Health/Medical Center in Santa Fe while driving his daughter to a medical appointment. Clinic staff, including chief information officer Jasmin Milz, said agents appeared to have followed him from home and blocked his vehicle, taking him into custody without entering the building; his daughter was later picked up by a family member with help from community advocates. DHS described him as a 'criminal illegal alien' with an 'extensive criminal history,' citing 2018 battery, criminal sexual penetration, and child abuse charges, but court records show those charges were dismissed after the alleged victim declined to cooperate. His attorney, Allegra Love, said he received the U visa in 2022 for cooperating with law enforcement and that it expired in May while his residency application remains pending. Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies criticized federal officials for citing the dismissed case without noting its outcome, and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández called leaving the child in the parking lot 'cruelty,' noting ICE reported eight detentions in Santa Fe that day. Chacon-Miranda was later jailed and alleges immigration agents fabricated reports to secure his deportation despite his legal status.
Sources
- ICE arrest outside Santa Fe health clinic sparks community concern
KOB·Aug 20, 2026·archived copy
- La Familia Health says federal agents detained man outside Santa Fe clinic
KOAT·Aug 20, 2026·archived copy
- New Mexico U.S. Rep. Leger Fernández denounces ICE arrest in Santa Fe healthcare clinic parking lot
- sourcenm.com
- ICE detains man outside Santa Fe medical clinic
abqjournal.com·Aug 20, 2026·archived copy
- Attorney challenges ICE detention of Santa Fe father, citing dismissed charges
KOAT·Aug 22, 2026·archived copy
- Santa Fe neighbors uneasy after ICE raids and arrests
KOB·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- Families speak out after ICE arrests in Santa Fe
abqjournal.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- Families share accounts of ICE enforcement activity in Santa Fe
KOAT·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- Santa Barbara Family Speaks Out After Being Separated, Detained by ICE
noozhawk.com·Jun 22, 2026·archived copy
- Family members describe recent ICE arrests in Santa Fe, as residents protest - New Mexico In Focus
newmexicopbs.org·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- He had legal status, no criminal convictions; ICE jailed and arrested him anyway
santafenewmexican.com·Sep 27, 2026
- santafenewmexican.com
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