A mother from Latin America, now living in Colorado with her husband and their four children, is pleading for help after her husband was suddenly arrested by U.S. immigration authorities.
According to information reported by CBS News Colorado, the father, named Rogelio, was taken into custody last week during a routine check-in with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
The appointment was part of the requirements tied to the couple’s pending asylum application. The family had fled their home country in 2023 to escape cartel violence, CBS Colorado reported.
“They simply told us there was a deportation order against him,” said Rogelio’s wife, visibly distraught in a filmed interview with CBS Colorado. However, no documents were presented at the time, and subsequent searches in public databases have turned up no official removal order.
Representatives from a legal aid group and their attorney say Rogelio has no criminal record, either in the United States or in his home country. CBS Colorado also reviewed state court records and found no trace of any conviction.
Since the arrest, Rogelio’s wife has been left alone to care for their four children, including seven-month-old twin infants who are U.S. citizens. She does not have a driver’s license or work authorization, making the family’s day-to-day survival even more difficult.
In a statement to CBS Colorado, ICE defended the arrest, stating that “the majority of individuals who entered the United States illegally over the past two years are subject to expedited removal,” and emphasized that it is “simply enforcing the law.”
However, community organizations expressed outrage. Andrea Loya, executive director of Casa de Paz, a nonprofit that supports detained migrants, condemned the practice as “unjust.”
“These families are doing everything asked of them. They show up to their appointments, they follow the process. And yet, they’re treated like fugitives,” Loya said.
She pointed to a growing trend she finds alarming: the increasing arrests of migrants who are actively participating in the legal process, have no criminal history, and are well integrated into their communities.
The national group Rise Up America, also engaged in the case, believes these incidents reflect a dangerous expansion of deportation targets.
“These are not criminals. These are families just trying to live safely and legally,” said a group representative. “And yet, they’re being pursued as if they were threats.”
As of now, Rogelio’s future hinges on a possible legal intervention or administrative stay. In the meantime, his wife continues to fight—alone—to keep her family afloat.
Primary Source: CBS Colorado
