ICE arrest dad after dropping daughter off at elementary school before going back to detain her too
Single father Carlos was cycling to work when ICE agents detained him in front of school children, before also detaining his elementary-aged daughter in an incident that has horrified the community
A Pennsylvania community has been left shaken after immigration agents detained a father on his way to work in front of school children, before going to his daughter's elementary school and detaining her, too.
Concepción Castro-Delcid, known locally as Carlos, was taken into custody by agents in Dunmore at around 7:45am last Wednesday. The 44-year-old single father was cycling to work after dropping his young daughter off at school when he was approached by ICE agents.
Children who'd been on their way to school witnessed the arrest. Some heard yelling and saw Carlos' bike left behind, FOX56 reports. Breeda Cronin Holmes, who lives just a few minutes away from where the arrest happened and is a friend of the family, told the outlet: "I just knew in my heart and soul who it was and this person is a fabric of the community, he's well-known, everybody sees him every day, everybody knows his daughter so my immediate response was horror."
She described Carlos as the "kindest, friendliest, wouldn't hurt a fly, gentle person," adding: "When you think of Carlos the first thing that comes to mind is how much he loves his daughter, because he would do anything to give her a chance."
ICE did not notify Dunmore police about the operation. Dunmore Mayor Max Conway met with agents later that day when they brought Carlos' daughter to the borough building.
The mayor said in a statement: "As the mayor of a small town, I don't have control or authority over federal immigration actions, but I can speak to what I saw firsthand. The ICE agents I spoke with were professional and answered my questions, and to their credit, they kept the family together. But this wasn't some violent criminal, it was a working single father and his young daughter. I don't feel any safer knowing they were taken from our community."
He continued: "I believe in law and order, but I also believe in logical deportations, focusing on people who are truly dangerous, not families just trying to live their lives. I obviously don't make these laws, but seeing this up close makes it clear something isn't working the way it should. I keep thinking about that little girl in her Dunmore Bucks sweatshirt with her name on the back, she's part of this community."
Carlos, a Honduran national, had been living in Dunmore with his daughter for six years. In a statement about the incident, ICE described the father as an "illegal alien with a final order of removal" related to a 2019 border apprehension in Hidalgo, Texas.
The agency said that Carlos and his elementary age daughter, who has not been identified, are being deported to Honduras. ICE also said that Carlos attempted to flee from agents when they approached him.
"As officers approached and identified themselves as federal law enforcement, Castro-Delcid abruptly fled on foot, weaving through neighborhood yards and attempting to vault a backyard fence, actions that placed both the pursuing officers and nearby residents at unnecessary risk," the agency's statement said.
"In keeping with the ICE Use-of-Force Policy, agents applied only necessary, hands-on control techniques to stop his escape and secure him. No intermediate weapons or chemical agents were used," the statement continued. "Castro-Delcid incurred two minor scrapes and received on-scene treatment. As has been previously reported in the local media, all personnel were clearly marked as federal officers, and the incident was fully documented and is subject to routine supervisory review."
State Senator Marty Flynn (D-Dunmore) condemned the actions of ICE. He said: “Remaining silent would ignore what I view as a failure of fairness and compassion. When federal actions remove working families who pose no threat to public safety, it does not make our communities stronger or safer. It only creates fear and uncertainty among people who contribute to our neighborhoods and schools every day … We are better than this, and our policies should reflect that.”
“People say they only go after violent criminals and that's all that's going to happen. Well, that’s not what happened at 7:45 in the morning in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, when kids were driving by and parents were bringing their children to school," Breeda added.