MILWAUKEE — An immigration attorney says his client was unexpectedly taken into custody during what he expected to be a routine supervision check-in at the ICE field office in downtown Milwaukee Tuesday morning.
According to family and her attorney, Elvira Benitez Suarez, 50, was under supervision as she awaited a green card.
Suarez is now being held at a detention center in Kentucky, more than 400 miles from her Sheboygan Falls home. Her family says she has no criminal history.
Her daughter, Crystal Aguilar, said she learned of the detention when her mother texted her as she was being taken into custody.
Watch: Daughter speaks out after mother with no criminal record detained by ICE
"There's no way, like I can't believe this is going to happen again," Aguilar said.
Suarez was previously released from federal custody in December of 2025 after being held at a detention center in Ohio for about 6 months.
"We were reunited; we spent a lot of time together. And now, she's gone again," Aguilar said.
According to family, Suarez fled Mexico when she was 15 years old as a victim of sexual assault. She has been in the country without status for decades, working and raising her children.
"She chose to do what she thought what was best for her out of survival," Aguilar said.
Aguilar says she is proud of her mother's courage.
"I'm proud of my mom. It shows so much courage that her at 15-years-old came over here without knowing anybody, knowing any English, having nothing," Aguilar said.
The family says they will continue to fight for Suarez to remain in the United States.
"We're going to continue fighting until she's back home, and she has to remain strong," Aguilar said.
TMJ4 reached out to ICE multiple times to ask why Suarez was detained, but did not hear back before this story aired. ICE provided the following statement on March 18:
"On March 10, 2026, ICE arrested Elvira Benitez-Suarez, an illegal alien from Mexico, who remains in ICE custody pending further immigration proceedings. She will receive full due process.
“Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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