South African Wisconsin State Patrol trooper released from ICE custody
Key Points:
- ICE arrested Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, a 21-year-old South African Wisconsin State Patrol trooper, at Dane County Regional Airport after he passed through security, detaining him at Dodge County Jail.
- Van Der Merwe was released under supervision requiring regular check-ins with ICE and likely electronic monitoring via a phone app, according to his attorney Marc Christopher.
- ICE claims Van Der Merwe overstayed his visitor’s visa from March 2019 and argues that work authorization or pending applications do not grant legal status.
- Attorney Christopher criticized ICE’s actions as unnecessary and indiscriminate, highlighting that Van Der Merwe’s family has been awaiting asylum review for years due to persecution claims.
- The family’s asylum application is based on persecution, including an attack on a family member, which Christopher says ICE ignored in their decision to detain Van Der Merwe.