Fears of Immigration Detention Grow as Enforcement Increases
Immigrant Advocates Warn of Detention Risks
Sergio Carlos Gomez, a railroad worker, speaks about his recent detainment by federal immigration officials during a news conference on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Houston.
Yolanda Rodriguez, the mother of Kevin Saldaña Ramirez, a construction worker, said her son should not have been arrested because he’s an innocent, hard worker.
"I ask the president to have mercy," she said in Spanish at a news conference Thursday in Houston, referring to President Donald Trump. "Yes, take those who are truly delinquents. But not hardworking, innocent people like my son."
Story of Kevin Saldaña Ramirez
Rodriguez said her son, Kevin Saldaña Ramirez, is a construction worker with Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification. People with this status have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They can apply for lawful permanent residency, or a green card. Due to financial reasons, Rodriguez said her son has not had that chance.
According to his mother, Ramirez was working at a construction site along Beltway 8 on Feb. 25 when immigration enforcement officers arrived to ask workers at the site if they had legal documentation. Ramirez had his case number, but was told the number was "false," his mother said. Officers said they had an order to deport him, Rodriguez said.
"Despite having followed every step legally and having a valid work permit, he was arrested in a labor raid and continues to be wrongfully detained," said Susana Hart, an immigration attorney working with the family.
FIEL Houston Warns of Detention Risks
FIEL Houston, an immigrant advocacy group, is warning that people with authorization to work in the U.S. or with complicated legal statuses are at risk of being detained amid increased immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
"We see that as more officers get hired, we see that as more enforcement is done, unfortunately, there’s not the proper training to be able to identify people who may be here legally but unfortunately not be legal permanent residents yet," said Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL Houston.
Recent Detention Cases
A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the agency conducted a worksite enforcement operation at Texas Couplings LLC, a warehouse in Spring, on Tuesday. According to ICE, 20 people suspected of being in the country without legal status were taken into custody for "administrative immigration violations" during an I-9 audit. An I-9 form confirms the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the U.S.
ICE said in late February that it arrested 118 people at a predominantly Latino community north of Houston known as Colony Ridge. However, the Houston-based ICE office has released the identities of only nine people arrested at that time, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Sergio Carlos Gomez’s Detention Experience
For Sergio Carlos Gomez, a railroad worker who regularly crosses border checkpoints, increased enforcement has left him "afraid of getting detained again," he said.
Gomez, who spoke at Thursday’s news conference, said he got a work permit through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DACA gives people without legal status authorization to work or study in the country if they came to the U.S. as children.
For five years, Gomez said he’s been traveling back and forth through a border checkpoint in Uvalde for his job. But on Feb. 27, he was arrested at that border checkpoint on his way back home despite showing legal documentation, he said.
"I don’t feel safe crossing [checkpoints] at the moment," he said.
Gomez said he was transferred to a facility in Eagle Pass after he was arrested, then taken back to Uvalde after a supervisor at the facility realized he had legal authorization to work in the country. Gomez waited hours at a gas station for a family member to pick him up because he said the official who dropped him off didn’t immediately give back his documentation, he said.
Immigrant Rights
"We want to repeat this over and over again, for people to know their rights," Espinosa said Thursday. "They have rights to not talk to ICE, to know that they shouldn’t sign anything, to know that they have the right to record and if they come to your home or place of business, there’s areas that are expected for privacy and you should not open the door, specifically if they come to your home."
FAQs
Q: What is the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification?
A: The SIJ classification is for individuals who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Q: What is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program?
A: The DACA program gives people without legal status authorization to work or study in the country if they came to the U.S. as children.
Q: What is the I-9 form?
A: The I-9 form confirms the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the U.S.
Q: What is the purpose of the I-9 audit?
A: The I-9 audit is an immigration enforcement operation that identifies and takes into custody individuals suspected of being in the country without legal status.
