Girl, 6, found wandering the streets alone in tears after dad seized by ICE
The girl and her family are just the latest victims in Donald Trump's heavy handed immigration crackdown that has seen thousands of well armed federal agents flood the streets of American cities
A six-year-old girl was left wandering the streets in floods of tears after her dad was seized by ICE agents.
Adonay Mancia Rodríguez was arrested by the federal officers near his home in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday, January 11, as part of an enforcement sweep.
His partner, Gabby Rosa, told reporters he had stepped out from their apartment, leaving their six-year-old daughter Annabella inside, to collect food from a restaurant nearby when authorities took him into custody.
According to a DHS spokesperson, ICE took 11 individuals into custody during the operation who were allegedly residing in the country illegally and are now facing deportation.
The mother of the six-year-old New Jersey girl says her daughter was discovered wandering alone outside their home over the weekend, tearfully searching for her dad.
READ MORE: Trump fumes over anti-ICE 'agitators' after Minnesota church raid and demands they be 'thrown in jail'READ MORE: Trump posts chilling images of him with US flag on Greenland and Canada in American colorsGabby Rosa said she was working her shift at a local Walmart at the time. She described getting urgent calls from a worried neighbor, who had spotted Annabella roaming the neighborhood looking for her dad.
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"She told me she'd seen my daughter, walking by herself on the street, crying, crying out for her dad, asking, 'Where's Papi? Where's Papi?' " Rosa told NJ.com.
She explained that she hurried home to look after Annabella, and later that same day discovered footage circulating on social media showing Rodríguez and others being taken into custody during an ICE operation.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that on Sunday, "during routine immigration enforcement actions in Morristown," ICE had apprehended 11 individuals she claims were residing in the country illegally.
McLaughlin maintained that multiple detainees face felony charges, while others "took advantage of the Biden administration's open border crisis."
According to McLaughlin, all 11 individuals remain in custody and are either undergoing removal proceedings or actively being deported from the U.S. "in accordance with U.S. immigration law."
On her Facebook profile, she said that Rodríguez had "escaped gangs in Honduras" and traveled to Morristown to reunite with relatives. She also says he possesses no criminal history.
A GoFundMe page established by a family member of Rodríguez to cover his legal expenses reveals he arrived in the U.S. as a 16 year old seeking refuge. The fundraising effort, which by Friday afternoon had collected over $23,000 of its $26,000 target, notes he's resided and been employed in Morristown for more than ten years.
That family member also hadn't returned a Friday comment request.
"He has a huge family here that is devastated, but most of all is his daughter, who is inconsolable," the GoFundMe states. "They are very close and all she wants is to have him back."
Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty revealed in a statement this week that the town received no prior warning about the ICE operation and played no role in supporting or helping with it.
He confirmed the action had taken place at a neighborhood laundromat and surrounding establishments. In a distinct video message released earlier in the week, Dougherty made an urgent plea for immigration lawyers to offer free legal aid to community members who were detained by federal agents during the sweep.
