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ICE arrests Wisconsin state patrol trooper with pending asylum case at airport, attorneys say
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- ICE detained Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, a Wisconsin state patrol trooper and South African asylum-seeker with valid work authorization, at Dane County Regional Airport while he was waiting to board a domestic flight.
- Van Der Merwe, who came to the U.S. legally as a child and is part of his father’s pending asylum application, was handcuffed and taken to a detention facility in Juneau, Wisconsin, despite explaining his legal status to ICE officers.
- DHS stated that work authorization or a pending asylum application does not grant legal status, noting Van Der Merwe overstayed his legal admission which expired in September 2019, and he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
- Van Der Merwe’s attorney condemned the arrest as “inhumane and despicable,” emphasizing that detaining a state trooper with an unresolved asylum case does not enhance community safety and called for DHS to explain the necessity of his detention.
- The DHS highlighted ongoing efforts to prevent individuals in the U.S. illegally from flying domestically unless departing the country to self-deport.
