Wisconsin state patrol trooper detained by ICE released from custody
Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe immigrated to US at 14 and has been waiting seven years for asylum case to be heard A Wisconsin state patrol trooper, whom federal immigration agents detained on Thursday at an airport, has been released from their custody. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents approached Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, a South African national, as he waited to board a domestic flight, according to…
Key points
- Wisconsin state patrol trooper Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe was detained by ICE at an airport on Thursday and released on Friday.
- His lawyers say he came to the US at 14 and has waited seven years for his asylum case to be heard.
- DHS said he overstayed a 2019 visa, while his lawyers said another DHS agency authorized him to work.
A Wisconsin state patrol trooper detained by federal immigration agents at an airport on Thursday has been released from custody. Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, a South African national, was approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as he waited to board a domestic flight, according to his law firm Christopher & De León.
His lawyers said he immigrated to the US at age 14 and has waited seven years for his asylum case to be heard. In the meantime, they said, he received work authorization valid through 2030 to serve in Wisconsin law enforcement.
Dispute over his status
The Department of Homeland Security defended the detention, saying Van Der Merwe had overstayed a 2019 visa. An agency spokesperson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that "Work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the US."
His lawyers rejected that claim, noting that US Citizenship and Immigration Services, another DHS agency, authorized him to work. The firm said it did not think ICE believed its own statement.
His release is welcome news. But our fight is not over.
— Van Der Merwe's law firm
Release terms and advice
In a social media update on Friday, the law firm said Van Der Merwe would be released subject to electronic monitoring and regular check-ins with immigration authorities. The attorneys said his release was welcome news but that he will still have to defend his immigration case before an immigration judge.
The firm advised noncitizens with unresolved immigration paperwork to consult immigration attorneys before flying, warning that past trouble-free travel does not guarantee the same now.
