Leticia Nevares, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 35 years, was detained after a green card interview and has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since mid-September, according to her family, who outlined her situation on a GoFundMe page for her legal fees.

Newsweek was unable to locate Nevares in the ICE detainee database. Newsweek has reached out to ICE for comment via email on Friday and contacted Nevares family via GoFundMe for comment.

Why It Matters

Nevares’ reported detention comes amid an immigration crackdown. President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, and immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation, including green cards and visas, have been detained.

Several people awaiting green cards have reported being apprehended at required immigration interviews. The administration has repeatedly asked that people without proper documentation self-deport. The White House has announced that certain speech might cause green card applicants to face extra scrutiny.

What To Know

Nevares, who is a mother of three and works as an elderly caretaker, was reportedly detained on September 16, “After attending a scheduled meeting with immigration services to obtain a green card…she was placed in handcuffs and transported to a detention facility,” her son, Steven Rodriguez wrote in the GoFundMe.

He said that the appointment was supposed to be “the final step in a long process of gaining legal residency,” an effort that community members had contributed to. Green card interviews are typically later in the application process, following review of the 1-485 form, biometrics, and background check information.

Rodriguez says she has no criminal history, telling NBC Bay Area, “she’s like a model citizen and she’s being treated like a criminal.”

She was initially transported to a facility in Bakersfield, California, but according to an October 3 update, Rodriguez said his mother has been “transferred to a facility in California City,” which is run by the private prison company, CoreCivic.

There have been several reports of poor conditions at a remote facility that opened in late August. The facility is located in the Mojave Desert on the grounds of a former state prison. “This place is built to break us,” Sokhean Keo, a California City detainee who is facing deportation to Cambodia, told The Guardian.

The facility is one of many that have been popping up across the U.S. to meet the demands of the dramatic increase in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

What People Are Saying

Steven Rodriguez said in the GoFundMe for his mother’s legal fees: “Through countless hours of service—helping at local food drives every week, participating in fundraisers, caring for sick neighbors, and providing end-of-life care to the elderly, the entire town is feeling her absence.”

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a previous statement shared with Newsweek: “Under Secretary [Kristi] Noem, we are delivering on President Trump’s and the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe. Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst and carry out the largest deportation operation of criminal aliens in American history.”

What Happens Next

Her family says her next court hearing is on October 28. The GoFundMe for her legal fees surpassed the family’s goal of $16,000, and as of Friday night was over $25,500.

ICE detains mom of 3 at green card interview after 35 years in US—Family

A mother who was reportedly at a green card interview was detained by ICE officials, according to her family.

https://www.newsweek.com/ice-detains-mom-of-3-at-green-card-interview-after-35-years-in-us-family-10827948