Name: 18-year-old caring for younger sister after mom was arrested by ICE
Uploaded: 2025-12-10T03:13:05.270Z
Duration: 2 min 15 s
Description: What began as a normal Monday morning for 18-year-old Jonathan Escalante quickly changed when his mother, Vilma Cruz, called to tell him that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had pulled up behind her car in Kenner, Louisiana.

What began as a normal Monday morning for 18-year-old Jonathan Escalante quickly changed when his mother, Vilma Cruz, called to tell him that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had pulled up behind her car in Kenner, Louisiana.

Kenner

An 18-year-old named Jonathan Escalante is now responsible for his nine-year-old sister after their mother, Vilma Cruz, was arrested by ICE agents in Kenner, Louisiana. The arrest occurred during Operation Catahoula Crunch, a Department of Homeland Security immigration crackdown targeting what officials describe as criminal illegal aliens.

Both Escalante and his sister are U.S. citizens, but they express fear of being wrongfully detained, a concern underscored by reports that over 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents this year. The civil rights group LULAC is assisting the family and considering legal action, while requests for comment from DHS officials have not been answered.

18-year-old caring for younger sister after mom was arrested by ICE

Dozens of U.S. citizens and migrants with no criminal history are being arrested in President Trump's immigration raids across the country. Omar Villafranca with more on the families being torn apart. The last time Jonathan Escalante talked to his mom, she was in her car on Monday in Kenner, Louisiana. What I'm assuming is that they broke the car windshield right here. CBS News was the only network to talk to the 18-year-old, who tells us ICE agents arrested his mother, Vilma Cruz. The Honduran-born mother of two is the sole caregiver for Jonathan and his nine-year-old sister. This is the USA. It's supposed to be the land of the free, but it's not so free anymore. Cruz was one of dozens of people arrested as part of Operation Catahoula Crunch, DHS's latest immigration crackdown targeting what they say are criminal illegal aliens in Louisiana. Unlike their mother, Escalante and his sister are both American citizens. But he's still worried about being detained. You're an American citizen, but sometimes you feel that you have to carry your passport. Yep, because I'm afraid of ICE agents just stopping me because they feel like it. That fear isn't unfounded. I'm a U.S. citizen! More than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents so far this year. Leave me alone! Jacelyn Guzman, a U.S. citizen, was chased by ICE agents last week in New Orleans. I didn't know if I should run or not. I was scared. But then another car pulled up. He had like a mask on with sunglasses. And then I was like, oh, I immediately started telling him, like, I'm born and raised here. Like, I'm a U.S. citizen. And he did not care at all. Agents later said she matched the description of a suspect. It's very unfair. It's hard to talk about, too, because, like, it makes me scared for my family as well. I'm sorry. Escalante told me his mother is not a criminal and he doesn't know why she was targeted. The civil rights group LULAC is helping the family, and they're also looking at a legal case to try to stop the deportations here in Louisiana. We reached out two times to DHS officials for comment and didn't hear back.

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