Father with temporary protected status detained at ICE office after being promised reunification with children
Dec 1, 2025·Location: New Mexico
Country of origin: Venezuela

Carlos, a Venezuelan man with temporary protected status, was detained by ICE at a New Mexico immigration office in December 2025 after being called for what he believed was a reunification meeting with his 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Federal officials had previously vetted Carlos and told him his custody case was complete. When he arrived at the ICE office, officers attempted to force him to sign documents he did not understand. After refusing to sign, officers stripped his clothes, seized his belongings, and chained him by the neck, waist, and legs. Carlos said he felt "tricked" and that ICE "used my children to grab me." His two children had been in a federal shelter in Texas for nearly a year after crossing the border to reunite with him. According to reporting, the Trump administration's Office of Refugee Resettlement has begun coordinating with ICE to arrest parents and caregivers seeking custody of unaccompanied migrant children, reversing Obama-era restrictions on data sharing between the resettlement office and immigration enforcement.
Sources
- ‘They tricked me’: A father was chained after he went to ICE to reunite with his kids
CNN·Mar 24, 2026·archived copy
vietfactcheck.org·Apr 10, 2026·archived copy
- Trump Has Detained the Parents of More Than 11,000 U.S. Citizen Kids
ProPublica·Mar 23, 2026·archived copy
- ‘They Tricked Me’: A Father Was Chained After He Went to ICE To Reunite With His Kids - KFF Health News
kffhealthnews.org·Mar 24, 2026·archived copy
kffhealthnews.org·Mar 24, 2026·archived copy
- Migrant children detained in Southern California used as ‘bait’ to arrest and deport their parents
LAist·Mar 18, 2026·archived copy
- ‘They Tricked Me’: Father Shackled and Detained After Visiting ICE to Reunite With His Children
crbcnews.com·Mar 24, 2026·archived copy
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