The mother of a man detained by federal agents helped ensure a peaceful arrest by escorting her son into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
Joaquin Viamonte Salas, a Cuban national with a 2024 final removal order, has a criminal history that includes convictions for sexual assault, assault, and larceny.
Newsweek has contacted ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email outside office hours for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to conduct widespread immigration arrests and removals as part of an aggressive mass deportation policy.
What To Know
ICE officials said the mother’s cooperation allowed the transfer to be carried out safely and without incident.
The agency said that family involvement can play a key role in ensuring safe enforcement of immigration laws while maintaining public safety.
ICE did not release the date or location of the man's arrest.
The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), signed into law earlier this year by the president, significantly boosted funding for immigration enforcement, including ICE and DHS. The legislation allocates $45 billion to expand ICE’s detention capacity to nearly 100,000 beds, $14 billion for transportation and removal operations, and $8 billion to hire 10,000 additional deportation officers. It also provides billions more for state and local cooperation programs, technology upgrades, and retention incentives for ICE personnel.
The OBBB provides an additional $75 billion in funding for ICE over roughly four years, a substantial increase from the agency’s previous annual budget of about $10 billion.
The multiyear allocation is projected to bring ICE’s total funding to more than $100 billion by fiscal year 2029, making it one of the most well-funded federal law enforcement agencies.
The legislation is expected to support the addition of 10,000 new ICE agents over the next five years, with recruitment and onboarding planned to reach full integration by fiscal year 2029. As of mid-2025, ICE employed approximately 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel, including fewer than 6,000 in the Enforcement and Removal Operations branch, according to DHS.
To meet staffing needs, DHS has launched a nationwide recruitment effort for ICE. The agency has received over 175,000 applications and issued more than 18,000 tentative job offers. Recruitment incentives include signing bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan repayment programs.
The Trump administration has marshaled together several federal agencies to power their deportation machine. The federal government has pulled together resources from ICE, Border Patrol, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and others.
ICE has faced ongoing allegations of misconduct and the use of heavy-handed tactics in its enforcement operations. Critics have raised concerns over instances of excessive force, the treatment of detainees, and aggressive workplace raids. ICE and Border Patrol are also facing increased scrutiny over allegations of racial profiling.
What People Are Saying
ICE wrote in a social media post: "We were going to arrest him one way or another, and his mother knew it. She escorted him safely out of the house into our custody. When we have community cooperation, everyone is safer."
