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Abel O.: Chicago father detained six months after ICE mistakes him for his son

Abel Orozco, a 47-year-old tree-cutting business owner who has lived near Chicago for 30 years, was mistakenly detained for his son and has remained in custody in Kentucky for nearly six months.

Mar 14, 2025Lyons, ILCountry of origin: Mexico

Abel O.: Chicago father detained six months after ICE mistakes him for his son
Photo via ABC7 Chicago

Abel Orozco, a 47-year-old tree-cutting business owner who has lived in the Chicago suburbs for about 30 years, was arrested by ICE agents without a warrant on January 26 while driving home from picking up tamales for his family. Agents had entered his backyard and porch searching for his eldest son, who shares his name, and after forcing open his car and handcuffing him, realized roughly 45 minutes to an hour later they had the wrong person—but detained him anyway. Orozco has no criminal record, arrived in the U.S. in the late 1990s under a legal work petition, and was issued a removal order in 2004 after visiting his father in Mexico. He has remained in ICE custody in Kentucky for nearly six months, during which his family has missed mortgage payments, his younger son has struggled to keep the family business running, and his wife Yolanda, who has spoken publicly about the case, has been fighting breast cancer. His attorneys at the National Immigrant Justice Center, representing Orozco as one of 22 detainees, have filed a motion challenging the legality of warrantless ICE arrests and are seeking his release.

Timeline

Mar 14, 2025—Attorneys publicly detail the arrest and file legal action challenging warrantless ICE arrests; Orozco remains detained roughly six months later
Jan 26, 2025—Abel Orozco arrested by ICE agents without a warrant outside his home while agents searched for his son
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