A woman was detained by federal immigration agents in Chaparral, New Mexico, on Wednesday morning while she was driving to a chemotherapy appointment, according to her family and witnesses quoted in local reports.
A video shared on social media shows two officers, who appear to be with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), talking to an elderly woman near a silver pickup truck at an Allsup’s Convenience Store gas station.
The officers then escorted her to their vehicle.
The video was first posted on Instagram by therealfitfamelpaso. It was later shared on X by @LongTimeHistory, where it quickly went viral.
According to the original Instagram post, witnesses said the woman went into the store and asked employees for help. She said she believed a truck had been following her as she drove to her chemotherapy appointment.
The post says the agents got out of that truck a short time later and detained her.
A woman identifying herself as the detained woman’s daughter, named Marilyn, shared the post on her Instagram story.
She wrote that her mother has been a legal U.S. resident and that an officer told her the detention was “for our safety.” Marilyn said the officer also told her her mother needed to stay in custody because the incident was getting attention online.
Marilyn wrote, “Guys please help me by sharing, my mom got detained and she is legally here in the states! She needs her chemo, I don’t want to lose her because of this bs!”
ICE has not publicly identified the woman. The agency has also not confirmed her immigration status or explained why she was detained.
The Nerd Stash has not independently verified the family’s account.
Internet Reacts to New Mexico ICE Detention
Reactions split hard along familiar lines. Several commenters framed the detention as evidence of a bigger pattern. “This ain’t about public safety or border security this is all about racial profiling and both Trump, ICE and DHS are conducting racial profiling by detaining innocent people due to the color of their skin who have no criminal records and race and racism play a vital role,” one wrote.
Another was more blunt, writing, “ICE is a cancer adversely affecting our country!” A third warned of consequences, writing, “If the Trump Administration continues to harass Americans they should expect people to retaliate.”
Other commenters pushed back on the framing entirely. “Well, if she’s legally here, then she shouldn’t have any problems,” one wrote. Another was skeptical of the sympathy angle altogether, writing, “Pretty sure there is available chemo in her home country.”
As of this report, it remains unclear whether the woman has been released.
It is also unknown what agency rules were in place during the stop or whether she was able to make it to her chemotherapy appointment.
