Colombian far-right congresswoman Ángela Vergara, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and representative to the House for Bolívar, has issued a desperate plea after her son was detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid immigration proceedings. Vergara revealed on social media that her son has been held for at least 18 days in what she describes as "inhumane conditions," urging intervention from her home country's government.
In a poignant post, Vergara detailed her son's plight, stating he is "imprisoned and chained in inhumane conditions; He is a person who was waiting for the resolution of his legal situation, but he had his work permit and social security." She emphasized that he was legally present in the U.S. while awaiting resolution of his case, highlighting the severity of his detention.
Vergara has directly appealed to the government of President Gustavo Petro to step in and secure her son's safe return to Colombia. She further argued for his immediate release, citing unspecified health conditions that she believes warrant urgent action. The congresswoman's public outcry underscores the personal toll of U.S. immigration enforcement on foreign nationals with pending legal statuses.
ICE has not publicly commented on the specifics of Vergara's son's case, leaving her claims unverified by the agency. The detention comes amid heightened immigration enforcement activities by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has expanded deportation operations nationwide.
Broadening the context of these operations, federal immigration officers have shot 13 people since September. The most recent fatal incident occurred on January 24, when a federal agent killed Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis. Just weeks earlier, another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, also 37, was fatally shot by officers—both victims were U.S. citizens.
In several of these shootings, including the one involving Good, officers fired into moving vehicles, a high-risk tactic that law enforcement leaders and policing experts have long sought to restrict due to dangers to bystanders and officers alike. These incidents highlight the intensifying and controversial nature of ICE's enforcement efforts across the country.
