A Wisconsin state trooper has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is facing deportation to South Africa, according to his lawyer.
Aaron Van Der Merwe, 21, was detained Thursday as he was waiting to board a domestic flight, according to a statement issued by law firm Christopher & De León.
Van Der Merwe told ICE officers he had a work permit and a pending asylum application.
“According to Van Der Merwe, the officers said they did not care, placed him in handcuffs and shackles, and transported him to immigration detention in Dodge County,” the law firm said.
An ICE database shows Van Der Merwe is currently being held at a detention facility in Juneau, Wisconsin.
According to the law firm, Van Der Merwe came to the U.S. legally from South Africa as a child and has waited seven years for an asylum interview. He has a valid work permit that expires in 2030, his lawyer said.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE arrested him during a targeted enforcement operation at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison. DHS said he came to the U.S. legally in March 2019 and only had permission to stay until September of 2019.
“In defiance of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his admission. This illegal alien will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
“DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this. This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport,” the spokesperson said.
Attorney Marc Christopher said he will seek his client’s release on bond.
“This is inhumane and despicable,” Christopher said in a statement. “Putting a Wisconsin State Trooper behind bars while his asylum case sits unresolved does not make our communities safer. Wisconsin’s congressional delegation should demand his release and demand answers.”
