An Indonesian nurse seized by ICE during a Disneyland trip with her American husband and son was held in custody for two weeks before being reunited with her family.
Monica Ryadi, a Philadelphia resident and registered nurse, was traveling to Disneyland on September 15 when she was arrested by ICE at the Los Angeles International Airport.
‘I didn’t think about myself, and I just thought about my son and the fact that he had to witness the whole thing,’ Ryadi told ABC News.
Steven Sary, Ryadi’s husband, shared that their young son was confused about why his mother couldn’t come home.
‘He doesn’t understand why his mom can’t come home with us. He only knows that he misses her. I miss my wife, my partner, and the person who helps hold our family together every single day,’ Sary wrote in a fundraiser statement.
According to California Central District Court documents, Ryadi was detained for two weeks at Adelanto ICE Processing Center before being released and reunited with her family on September 29.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Eric Rosenfeld, Ryadi’s attorney, for comments on her behalf.
Federal officials reported that Ryadi legally entered the country in 2005 from Indonesia with permission to stay for six months.
Ryadi told ABC News she arrived with her family to the US at nine years old after fleeing from religious persecution in their homeland.
Monica Ryadi, a Philadelphia resident and registered nurse, was traveling to Disneyland when she was arrested by ICE at the Los Angeles International Airport on September 15
Ryadi was travelling with her husband and three-year-old son who are both US citizens
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), their agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation at LAX when Ryadi was arrested on her way to Disneyland
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), their agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation at LAX when Ryadi was arrested.
‘As soon as we got off the airplane, we were approached by about 5-7 men, and they demanded our identification. Even after showing my Real ID, they asked for my passport, claiming that I needed one to travel,’ Ryadi told the outlet.
‘Monica believed that she was sort of scouted and followed at the Philadelphia International Airport beforehand,’ Attorney Rosenfeld told the outlet.
DHS agents allegedly referred to Ryadi as an ‘illegal alien.’
‘In violation of our nation’s laws, she overstayed her welcome. She received due process and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2010,’ DHS told the outlet.
Attorney Rosenfeld told the outlet that the immigration judge granted an order of withholding of removal, which protected her from being deported.
‘A person who is granted withholding of removal may never leave the United States without executing that removal order, cannot petition to bring family members to the United States, and does not gain a path to citizenship,’ according to the American Immigration Council.
Ryadi completed her first check-in at the Philadelphia ICE office while wearing a GPS ankle monitor on October 15.
Eric Rosenfeld, Ryadi’s attorney, told the outlet that the immigration judge granted an order of withholding of removal which protected her from being deported
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents District 5 of Philadelphia, has weighed in on Ryadi’s ICE detention and described her case as ‘particularly unforgivable’
Since being detained, her family has started a SupportNow fundraiser to raise financial support for her legal representation and court related expenses
‘They haven’t given Monica any paperwork. They haven’t given me any paperwork. They held her in jail for 15 days and said we’re now able to send you to a third country,’ said attorney Rosenfeld.
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents District 5 of Philadelphia, has weighed in on Ryadi’s ICE detention.
‘Monica’s case is particularly unforgivable. She’s someone who has been here legally. She’s been here for a decade. She has committed no crimes, she’s paid her taxes, she’s served her community as a nurse’ Congresswoman Scanlon said in a statement.
‘This is my home. I built a life here. I wouldn’t know what to do if they were to send me to another country,’ Ryadi stated to the outlet.
Sary described her as ‘a loving mother, a caring wife, and a dedicated nurse who has built her life in Philadelphia for the past 21 years.’
Since being detained, her family has started a SupportNow fundraiser to raise financial support for her legal representation and court related expenses.
They have raised up to $7K of their $25K goal.
Attorney Rosenfeld told ABC News that his client plans to continue their fight in court although there is still a chance she may be deported to Indonesia.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Office of Immigration Litigation Trial Attorney, the DHS and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon for comments.
