Mother and three children detained by ICE at dairy farm while following legal immigration process
A Family Torn Apart: How ICE Detained a Mother and Her Three Children from a Small New York Town
When teachers at Sackets Harbor Central School noticed one of their students missing from class, they had no idea the third-grader and her teenage siblings had been detained by immigration officials during a raid at a local dairy farm.
The family, including a third-grade child and two teenagers, were taken into custody on March 27 at Old McDonald's Farm in Sackets Harbor, New York, a small village on Lake Ontario. What makes this case particularly disturbing is that according to school officials, these students were doing everything by the book.
"Our 3 students who were taken by ICE were doing everything right," said Jaime Cook, the principal of Sackets Harbor Central School District. "They had declared themselves to immigration judges, attended court on their assigned dates, and were following the legal process. They are not criminals."
The most shocking aspect of this case is that after being detained, the mother and her three children were transported nearly 1,800 miles away to the Karnes County Detention Facility in Texas. This separation sparked immediate outrage throughout the tight-knit community.
According to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, the operation was part of executing a search warrant for a person accused of having "child sexual abuse materials." During this operation, officials "encountered seven additional illegal aliens on the premises," including the mother and her children.
The community's response was swift and powerful. Residents of Sackets Harbor took to the streets to protest, marching directly to the home of White House border czar Tom Homan, who lives in the area. Teachers, school administrators, and concerned citizens united in demanding the family's immediate release.
While DHS officials denied claims that the third-grader was handcuffed during the operation, the school principal maintained that "our students were put in handcuffs." The conflicting accounts only fueled further outrage among community members who viewed the detention as excessive and traumatic, particularly for young children actively engaged in their education.
After ten days of detention and community pressure, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday that the family was finally being released and would be returning home.
"New York has been consistent: we are open to working with federal immigration enforcement to crack down on gang members or violent criminals," Hochul stated. "But I will never support cruel actions that rip kids out of school or tear families apart."
School Superintendent Jennifer L. Gaffney expressed relief at the news of the family's return, though acknowledged the long road ahead in helping them recover from what she described as a "traumatic experience."
As the family begins the journey back to New York, they have requested privacy while they continue to navigate the immigration system. For the Sackets Harbor community, this episode has left deep scars but also demonstrated the power of collective action in standing up for vulnerable members of their community.
