The holiday break is a time for kids to have fun and enjoy their time off from school. That is, unless you live in America, where it’s a time for ICE agents to separate families. A local second-grader from Vermont and his mother never expected this to happen to them. Sadly, during a road trip to see family, they were detained, and the traumatic details don’t end there.
While driving to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with family, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended the child and his mother. They were detained in Illinois and immediately sent to a facility in Texas, where they’re believed to be at the time of writing. When the second-grader, a student at a school in Winooski, Vermont, did not show up for class, teachers raised the alarm.
Tragically, the boy’s father could not get in touch with him or his mother. He hadn’t spoken to his family since they’d left for their trip, and was unaware of their whereabouts. Aside from the helplessness and terror at missing his wife and child, he had no way to contact them. Eventually, the Winooski School District reached the Texas detention center.
The conversation was brief and offered no details or solutions. The reason for their detainment, or, rather, abduction, is still unclear. For now, the Winooski school district has offered financial support and legal aid to the father. He has been in the process of applying for asylum in the United States, further deepening the mystery around why his wife and child were detained.
Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria is no stranger to immigration interrogations. He was questioned as a naturalized citizen from Nicaragua and expressed his sympathy and support for the family. On Reddit, many users are echoing this in unity. Many are accusing ICE agents of crimes beyond upholding immigration laws. “Federal law enforcement is far too sanitized and legitimized. Gestapo. They were seized by the Gestapo,” one user said.
