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Monica R.: Nurse detained 15 days by ICE during Disneyland trip

Monica Ryadi, a 30-year-old nurse who fled religious persecution in Indonesia as a child, was detained by ICE at LAX in front of her young son and held two weeks before a judge ordered her release.

Oct 15, 2026Los Angeles, CACountry of origin: Indonesia

Monica R.: Nurse detained 15 days by ICE during Disneyland trip
Photo via 6ABC

Monica Ryadi, a 30-year-old registered nurse at Riddle Hospital in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents at Los Angeles International Airport on September 15, 2026, while traveling with her husband, Steven Sary, and their 3-year-old son, both U.S. citizens, for a Disneyland vacation. Ryadi, who fled religious persecution in Indonesia with her family at age 9, was handcuffed and shackled in front of her son, and court filings state officers threatened to place the child in protective services. She had been granted Withholding of Removal in 2010, which her attorney says protects her from deportation and had allowed her work authorization, a Social Security number, a REAL ID, and homeownership, but DHS maintains she is subject to a final removal order. She was held for 15 days at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where she was told she could be deported to a third country since a court ruled she cannot be returned to Indonesia, before a federal magistrate judge ordered her release on September 29 following a habeas corpus petition, placing her under GPS ankle monitoring. She completed a required check-in in Philadelphia accompanied by about 20 supporters, including clergy and U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, and said, 'This is my home. I built a life here.' Ryadi is now seeking removal of the ankle monitor, which she says interferes with medical equipment she uses at work, and says she fears being separated from her family again.

“He experienced the whole thing. Me being cuffed and had to walk away with these groups of men God knows where.”
— Monica Ryadi

Timeline

Oct 15, 2026—Completed first required ICE check-in in Philadelphia with supporters, including Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon
Sep 29, 2026—Released from Adelanto ICE Processing Center under GPS monitoring after habeas corpus petition
Sep 15, 2026—Detained by ICE at LAX while traveling with family to Disneyland
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