ICE Detains Three Children and Mother from New York Farm, Sparking Outcry

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, advocacy groups, and local school officials have voiced strong concerns over the detention of three children and their mother as President Donald Trump’s administration continues efforts to deport non-citizens without court proceedings or criminal charges.

The New York Immigration Coalition, a nonprofit advocating for immigrant rights, confirmed that the unidentified family — including a third-grade student — was detained by ICE at a dairy farm in Sackets Harbor, New York. Following their detention, the family was transported to the Karnes County Detention Facility in Texas, approximately 1,800 miles away, according to the nonprofit.

“It is horrifying that these children and their mother were snatched from their home and disappeared,” said Murad Awawdeh, the group’s president and CEO, in a statement.

Awawdeh noted that the family was “correctly navigating the immigration system and attending their immigration court hearings.” He stated that Trump and border czar Tom Homan were “acting fully outside the law.”

NBC News reached out to both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not receive immediate responses.

Sackets Harbor, located in Jefferson County along Lake Ontario, sits 10 miles west of Watertown. Community members are organizing a rally in Sackets Harbor on Saturday, calling for the family’s release.

According to NBC affiliate WPTZ of Plattsburgh, New York, ICE agents searched the farm last Thursday for Marcell Meyer, who faces charges for possessing images of child sexual abuse.

The connection between Meyer’s arrest and the family’s detention remains unclear, though it appears agents were initially at the location to apprehend Meyer.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that Meyer, a 43-year-old South African national, allegedly distributed illicit images to an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent posing as a 13-year-old. If convicted, Meyer could face between five and 20 years in prison, a potential $250,000 fine, and lifelong supervision.

WPTZ reported that seven individuals were found during Meyer’s arrest and taken to a nearby border patrol station, where they were processed as “illegal aliens.”

In a Tuesday statement, Governor Hochul said she has worked with multiple administrations on immigration issues, but she “cannot think of any public safety justification for ICE agents to rip an innocent family, including a child in the third grade, from their Sackets Harbor home.”

“That is not the immigration enforcement promised to the American people. It’s just plain cruel. I want this family returned to New York State and believe ICE needs to immediately answer for these actions,” she stated.

Sackets Harbor Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney told WPTZ that the students were being held in Texas, but the school had not had any contact with the family since Thursday. She described it as a “very sad situation.”

“At Sackets Harbor Central School District, we view ourselves as a family, and right now, some of our family members are hurting. We are hurting because three students were taken away from our school community,” Gaffney said in a statement.

She added that the school board would “leave no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure their return back home.”

In a letter to the school community, Gaffney said counselors and support staff were available to assist students. Teachers have been instructed to be open and honest with students about the situation and encourage them to write letters showing support for the family.

The Democratic Committee of Jefferson County, which organized Saturday’s rally, said protesters would also peacefully march past the home of Tom Homan, who lives nearby. According to the Facebook event post, the rally is not an anti-Trump event, but “about protecting our kids and standing up for families in our communities.”