‘Immigration took my husband' (St. James Plaindealer)

‘Immigration took my husband'

By Mark Anderson, Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 1:34 PM CDT

Maria Gutierrez was working at Tony Downs in St. James early Wednesday morning, Oct. 22, when she got a phone call saying immigration officials were at her house.

She rushed home to find her husband, Juan Alvarez, in handcuffs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials going through every room in the house.

“My six-year-old son said ‘Mom, go tell the cops to let go of my dad.'” she said. Gutierrez felt the officials should have waited until she got her three children out of the room before they arrested her husband.

Gutierrez said she asked to see a warrant, but was never shown one. ICE officials told her they had a warrant for another person at her address. “So they arrested my husband instead,” she said. The other person was never named and never found.

She said there were six or seven ICE officials and two Sheriff's Department deputies.

The next day, Thursday, Gutierrez still didn't know where they had taken her husband. She heard from different people that he was held at the Watonwan County Jail and at the Ramsey County jail.

After contacting the Ramsey jail, and being told that her husband was there, Gutierrez said she still didn't know what to do. “I just feel hopeless,” she said, “All I can do is wait.”