ICE arrested a Wisconsin State Patrolman with a pending asylum case at an airport, his lawyers announced Thursday.
Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, a South African asylum seeker who has a valid federal work permit, was arrested by ICE while waiting to board a domestic flight, according to a statement from the law firm Christopher & De Leon released Thursday and obtained by NBC affiliate WEAU. He is currently being held at a detention center in Juneau, Wisconsin, according to ICE records.
According to the attorneys’ statement, Van Der Merwe tried to explain that he had a valid work permit and had an asylum claim, but ICE agents “said they didn’t care, handcuffed and shackled him, and transported him to an immigration detention center.”
The 21-year-old arrived in the country legally as a child from South Africa and is included in his father’s asylum application, according to the statement. He has been a Wisconsin state patrolman for nearly a year, his attorneys said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News: “To be clear: a work authorization or pending application does not confer legal status in the United States. »
ICE arrested Van Der Merwe Thursday during a targeted enforcement operation at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, DHS said in a statement.
“He entered the country in March 2019 with legal authorization to stay until September 2019,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “In defiance of our nation’s laws, he extended the duration of his admission. This illegal alien will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings.”
“This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens residing illegally in our country can no longer fly unless they leave our country to self-deport,” the spokesperson said.
Lawyer Marc Christopher, who represents Van Der Merwe, said in a statement that the arrest was “inhumane and despicable.”
“Putting a Wisconsin state trooper behind bars while his asylum case remains unresolved does not make our communities safer,” he said.
In another statement, Christopher said, “Wisconsin trusts Carel to protect the public. »
“DHS owes his family and our community an explanation as to why it is necessary to keep him behind bars,” he said.
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