ICE Agents Detain Dreamer on Hospital Visit to Critically Ill Newborn
Federal immigration agents arrested a medical laboratory scientist in Texas as he was travelling to deliver breast milk to his 12-day-old daughter, who is receiving treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit. The incident has sparked outrage and highlighted the precarious situation of DACA recipients under current enforcement policies.
Father Detained While Supporting Premature Infant
Juan Chavez Velasco, 35, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Weslaco on February 18 while en route to the hospital where his premature daughter, Elianna, remains in an isolation chamber. The married father of three, who holds degrees in biology and clinical laboratory science, was taken to the Webb County Detention Center in Laredo and now faces deportation to Colombia without having held his five-week-old infant.
Elianna's medical condition is particularly grave, requiring 24-hour blood transfusions to stabilise her health as she struggles to produce red blood cells. A GoFundMe campaign organised by Chavez Velasco's wife, Stephanie Villareal, reveals the family's desperate circumstances, noting that the father possesses the matching blood type to potentially donate to his daughter.
"More importantly, she needs her father here during this critical time in her life," Villareal emphasised in her appeal, which had raised nearly half of its $10,000 goal at the time of reporting.
DACA Status Ignored During Arrest
Chavez Velasco informed the arresting agents that he was a recipient of protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, commonly known as a "Dreamer." According to his account, the officers responded, "That doesn't matter," before taking him into custody.
The medical scientist was first brought to the United States from South America by his parents in 1999 when he was eight years old. After overstaying their tourist visa, the family applied for asylum, which was rejected in 2004, resulting in a final removal order when their appeal was dismissed. Remarkably, this order was never enforced.
His parents eventually reopened their case in 2016 and secured legal residence through their U.S. citizen daughter. Understanding that sibling-based applications can take 15-20 years, Chavez Velasco enrolled in DACA in 2012. He submitted a renewal application last November that went unanswered, and his DACA status expired on March 10, by which time he was already detained.
Family and Legal Team Mount Defence
Villareal stressed that her husband has no criminal record, stating, "He did everything right." Chavez Velasco himself expressed feelings of betrayal, saying, "I feel very sad and heartbroken because I would have thought the administration would be more compassionate towards people like me who contribute to the country and have basically lived here all our lives."
He continued, "We're all contributing, we're all paying taxes, this is our home. I'm not asking for a free ride. I feel like a majority of people would agree that we deserve something because it wasn't our fault to be here and because we love this country."
Official Response and Legal Challenges
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson described Chavez Velasco as "an illegal alien" who was "issued a final order of removal in 2005," disregarding both the failure to enforce that order and subsequent changes in his family's immigration status. The spokesperson asserted that "DACA does NOT confer any form of legal status in this country" and that recipients "may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons."
Jodi Goodwin, the family's attorney, is pursuing congressional assistance and exploring legal strategies to prevent Chavez Velasco's deportation. "We're straddling a tightrope, because we need time and we don't have that kind of time if they're going to put him on a plane," Goodwin explained.
The attorney offered a stark warning to other DACA recipients: "The Trump administration has changed the core meaning of what deferred action is by taking him into custody. DACA holders beware! Trump is coming for you, too."
As the legal battle continues, Chavez Velasco remains separated from his newborn daughter during her most vulnerable period, while his family fights to reunite and secure his future in the country he has called home since childhood.
