Child’s Harrowing Experience with Immigration Enforcement
JRC, an 11-year-old boy, vividly recalls the moment federal immigration agents arrived at his home in south-central El Paso on April 28, wearing gloves before arresting his father. To protect him from potential retaliation, El Paso Matters has chosen to identify him only by his initials.
The slender, curly-haired boy described how the agents restrained them forcefully. “They put on gloves and forced us to do this,” he recounted. Approximately ten days after his birthday, JRC explained that a neighbor had alerted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he startled their baby while playing outside.
During an immigration hearing on July 7, JRC expressed relief, saying, “There will be no immigration.” He had been granted voluntary departure to return to Venezuela and reunite with his mother, attributing his circumstances to the very call made by the neighbor. “They called immigration on us, and that’s why I’m here,” he explained.
On that fateful day in April, JRC’s father, Jesús Eduardo Reyes Hermes, was working on a car when he was approached by ICE agents. The father identified his son, and both were subsequently taken to the El Paso ICE processing center. The boy suffered the trauma of separation from his father, who was later transferred to Camp East Montana, a contentious ICE detention facility at Fort Bliss in east El Paso.
Reyes Hermes secured his release on bond in June after a prolonged legal struggle, but JRC remains in a shelter for unaccompanied minors while arrangements are made for his deportation flight to Venezuela. Their plight reflects a troubling trend, particularly as the Trump administration intensified immigration arrests nationwide, with federal agents targeting individuals in various settings including homes, traffic stops, and immigration court hearings, according to immigration lawyers at Estrella del Paso and other advocacy groups.
Escalating Arrests in El Paso under Trump Administration
In 2025, the first year of President Trump’s second term, ICE apprehended around 321,700 individuals—a significant increase compared to 2024 under President Biden, according to the Deportation Data Project, a source for immigration statistics maintained by the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA. Last year, more than 9,600 individuals were arrested in El Paso alone, over five times the number from the previous year. From January to March 2026, ICE conducted over 68,000 arrests nationwide, including about 3,000 in El Paso.
While federal immigration officials do not disclose exact arrest figures, recent reports indicate a surge in complaints about enforcement actions. For instance, the New York Times noted that ICE conducted approximately 10,000 arrests over a mere five-day span in late June.
Detention Rates of Children Skyrocket
The Deportation Data Project reveals that ICE detained over 6,200 children along with their families from January 2025 to April 2026, averaging 226 children per day—an alarming rise from just 24 per day in the final year of the Biden administration. For Reyes Hermes and JRC, this escalation in enforcement has meant separation after nearly four years spent in the El Paso community, during which they fled from Venezuela’s dire socio-political environment.
Initially willing to share their story, Reyes Hermes has since opted not to respond to requests for interviews. However, JRC, with his father’s approval, briefly spoke to El Paso Matters following an immigration hearing in July, expressing his sorrow about being away from his friends and favorite teacher. Although he has acquired some English skills, his comfort remains in Spanish. The young boy, who excels in mathematics, eagerly anticipates continuing his education.
Legal Challenges and Temporary Protected Status
After entering the United States illegally with his father in July 2023, Reyes Hermes initially faced expedited deportation without the opportunity for a court hearing. However, following concerns about possible persecution upon return to Venezuela, he was allowed to present his asylum case. Both he and JRC subsequently applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans—a program providing deportation protection and work permits—which they were granted in 2024.
Yet, with impending changes under the Trump administration ending TPS protections by late 2025, only those who receive approval by February 5, 2025, will remain covered until October 2, 2026. Reyes Hermes is reportedly preparing for this potential situation while navigating additional legal challenges, including a recent arrest by the El Paso Police Department on a misdemeanor charge that did not result in prosecution.
A Complex Legal Endeavor
Following their arrests in April, Reyes Hermes and JRC filed a federal writ of habeas corpus, arguing against their detention based on their TPS classification. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered the government to clarify why they were denied relief. By June 2, she ruled that Reyes Hermes could not be deported while the case was ongoing, ultimately leading to his release on bail following a successful court appeal.
Simultaneously, the court called for an explanation regarding JRC’s continued detention under the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Legal representatives emphasized that keeping JRC in custody unjustly prolonged his separation from his father, a situation they argued stemmed from ICE’s actions.
JRC was eventually placed in ORR custody, leading to visits with his father in May before they faced additional complications in seeking sponsorship from JRC’s stepmother. The federal government has indicated it will resume processing sponsorship for Reyes Hermes now that he is expected to remain at home.
In recent updates, it became clear that JRC expressed a desire to reunite with his family in Venezuela and opted for voluntary removal instead of continuing his immigration process in the U.S. The boy now looks forward to returning home in the hope of reuniting with his mother and siblings.
