DACA recipient detained while delivering breast milk to premature daughter in NICU
Apr 6, 2026·Location: Weslaco, TX
Country of origin: Colombia

Juan Chavez Velasco, a 35-year-old DACA recipient who arrived in the U.S. from Colombia at age 8, was detained by ICE agents on February 18, 2026, while driving to deliver breast milk to his premature daughter in a hospital NICU in Weslaco, Texas. Chavez Velasco holds two bachelor's degrees and works as a medical laboratory scientist with no criminal history. He is married to Stephanie Villarreal, a U.S. citizen, and has three U.S. citizen children. His DACA renewal application, submitted in November 2025, remained unanswered and his status expired on March 10, 2026, while he was in custody. DHS cited a 2005 removal order issued before his DACA approval in 2012, arguing that DACA does not confer legal status. He is detained at Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas.
Timeline
Sources
- Juan Velasco, dreamer detenido en Texas, enfrenta crisis de salud en centro de detención de ICE
Univision·Apr 13, 2026·archived copy
- PBS
- Trump Has Detained the Parents of More Than 11,000 U.S. Citizen Kids
ProPublica·Mar 23, 2026·archived copy
- South Texas DACA recipient detained by ICE, leaving young family in limbo
- ICE detiene a padre mientras llevaba leche materna a su bebé
telemundo40.com·Mar 20, 2026·archived copy
- 103news.com
- Threads
- 'He deserves to be home with his family:' Weslaco man detained by ICE despite active DACA status
- They Thought DACA Kept Them Safe From Arrest. They Were Wrong.
texasmonthly.com·Oct 6, 2025·archived copy
- Trump administration targets DACA recipients for deportation
Texas Tribune·Apr 22, 2026·archived copy
- Texas father among DACA recipients Trump administration now targeting for deportation
tpr.org·Apr 22, 2026·archived copy
- ‘Americans at heart’: ICE detains DACA recipient on way to visit premature baby in NICU
ms.now·Mar 18, 2026·archived copy
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