HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Nayeli: 25-year-old asylum seeker arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at Maryland courthouse

Nayeli, 25, a Honduran asylum seeker authorized to work, was handcuffed by plainclothes ICE agents at a Maryland courthouse before her theft case—over a $12.08 purchase—was even heard.

Sep 29, 2026Westminster, MDCountry of origin: Honduras

Nayeli: 25-year-old asylum seeker arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at Maryland courthouse
Photo via Baltimore Brew

Nayeli, a 25-year-old Honduran woman with a pending asylum case, was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at the Carroll County District Court in Westminster, Maryland, as she waited to contest theft charges filed by her former employer over a $12.08 McDonald's purchase made accidentally on his company credit card. The agents did not identify themselves, and her mother said they only announced 'ICE, she needs to go with me' before handcuffing Nayeli and taking her away; the judge overseeing the case told Nayeli's attorney 'It's not my hallway' when informed of the arrest. The theft charges, which a prosecutor had already offered to pause, were dismissed because Nayeli could not appear, but she remained in ICE detention in Virginia two weeks later. Nayeli, who is authorized to work in the U.S. and entered the country with her mother in 2019 to pursue asylum, said, 'I'm trying to be as positive as I can, but I mean, of course, this is not my home.'

“He told me, 'I want to be nice with you and finish this nice, because for me, it's easy to call ICE,'”
— Nayeli's mother, Sury
“People may not want to press criminal charges, they might not want to file for protective orders or otherwise report community safety concerns because they fear being picked up by immigration enforcement for doing so,”
— Nayeli's lawyer, Kate DeNobile
Suggest a correction, comment, or update

Tags

Sources

Similar Incidents

Loading…

More incidents in Maryland