ICE Agents, Part of Trump Crackdown, Detain Husband Driving Pregnant Wife to Deliver Baby
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stopped a middle-aged man driving his pregnant wife to hospital to give birth, as the couple stopped to get gas.
Joel Arrona-Lara, 36, was driving his wife Maria del Carmen Venegas to birth their son in a local hospital for a scheduled cesarian section procedure on Wednesday in San Bernardino, California.
After her husband was arrested by officers following the vehicle in two separate SUVs, Venegas was forced to drive herself to the hospital. ICE confirmed to Telemundo that Arrona-Lara was in custody in a statement, published in the Friday report. Arrona-Lara is a Mexican citizen and is being held at a detention center while his family contacts a lawyer.
Director of the Community Services Center of San Bernardino and legal representative of Arrona Emilio Amaya García said this case exposed the "lack of sensitivity" of the "zero tolerance policy" in Donald Trump's administration.
"In this case, not only could the life of the mother have been endangered, but also that of the child, who is a citizen of this country. It reflects the ignorance and lack of common sense of the 'zero tolerance' policy, which does not consider humanitarian reasons, like the ones in this case, " said Amaya in a Thursday Univision report.
"ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States," said the statement, published by CBS. Venegas told CBS that both she and her husband were asked to show the officers identification. She complied, but Arrona-Lara said he did not have his ID on his person. He offered to get it from their house of residence, apparently near the gas station.
Venegas said nothing like that had ever happened to the family previously and said her husband had never been in trouble with the law. ICE agents then asked Arrona to exit the vehicle and searched the car for weapons. He was taken into custody and Maria was left alone. Following the arrest, the mother was seen crying from inside the convenience store next to the gas station and speaking to someone on the phone. In the video, the mother of six was visibly upset.
