Venezuelan Father Says ICE 'Tricked' Him With Family Reunification Meeting: 'They Used My Children to Grab Me'

A Venezuelan father says Immigration and Customs Enforcement used a family reunification meeting to arrest him after federal officials had already cleared him to take custody of his two children, a case that advocacy groups say reflects a broader shift in how the Trump administration handles migrant families.

"They tricked me," the father, identified as Carlos told KFF Health News from detention. "They used my children to grab me."

According to the outlet, Carlos' 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter had spent nearly a year in a federal shelter in Texas after crossing the border to join him in the United States. Carlos, who had temporary protected status at the time, said officials had vetted him, visited his home and told him his reunification case was complete.

Instead, after he was called to an ICE office in New Mexico in December for what he believed was a meeting about getting his children back, Carlos said officers tried to force him to sign papers he did not understand. When he refused, he said, they stripped him, took his belongings and chained him by the neck, waist and legs. He was then held for months in an immigration detention center in El Paso.

KFF reported that Carlos was arrested under an initiative known as Operation Guardian Trace. Documents obtained by the outlet indicate the program requires immigration officers to interview sponsors or parents of children in federal custody and, if they are found to be in the country without legal authorization, arrest them and begin removal proceedings.

LAist reported last week that more than 100 sponsors had been arrested nationwide while trying to reclaim children from federal custody since July 2025, based on internal government data. In fact, the outlet said roughly one in four sponsors who came in for interviews or identification checks were arrested.

Attorneys told LAist the practice marks a major break from previous policy, under which undocumented parents could still seek custody of their children after passing sponsor vetting.

The effects on children have been significant. Carlos' son told attorneys he felt "hopeless and terrified" in the shelter. His daughter said she now fears the only way out may be foster care or adoption. "I am afraid," she said. "I'm going to wait for my dad forever."

A federal judge later ruled that Carlos had been unlawfully detained and ordered his release on bond. But his children remain in federal custody, and their reunification process must begin again.