A Colombian man seeking asylum was arrested by federal agents while attending a routine immigration appointment in Tennessee, his girlfriend told Newsweek.
Morgan Bowser, 28, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained her partner, John Ever Pineda Calderón, 35, a hotel renovation worker seeking asylum, inside the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) Office in Memphis.
Bowser described waiting in the parking lot as the arrest unfolded on August 7 around 10 a.m.
ISAP appointments are scheduled check-ins that immigrants must attend while their cases are being processed.
Waiting for hours without knowing Calderón’s whereabouts, Bowser said she was heartbroken when he finally called to confirm he had been detained and transferred.
Calderón, who has been in the United States since February 2023, had recently applied for asylum and withholding of removal, Bowser said. His application had been filed just four days before his detention.
“He felt nervous, but didn’t think anything would happen to him. We even considered getting out of the car to hug, but decided against it, just in case it would be our last moment together for a while,” she said.
Bowser returned to her car with her laptop to work while watching people come and go. After checking with Calderón’s lawyer, she learned he had been taken to another facility about five minutes away. Calderón called briefly to explain his transfer and reassure her.
The Trump administration has increased immigration arrests for those who entered the country during President Joe Biden’s term. Multiple federal agencies have been directed to carry out President Donald Trump’s pledge of widespread deportations, emphasizing that anyone living in the country illegally is considered a criminal.
In a statement to Newsweek, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended Calderón’s detention.
“John Ever Pineda Calderon, an illegal alien from Colombia, illegally crossed the southern border on February 10, 2023. Under the Biden Administration, Border Patrol arrested and RELEASED him into our country,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.
McLaughlin encouraged migrants to self-deport, citing a federal program that offers $1,000 and a free flight for those who voluntarily leave the United States.
Calderón is currently in federal custody at the ICE Processing Center in Jena, Louisiana, according to the ICE detainee locator.
His family in Colombia is anxious and uncertain about his detention, Bowser said, noting that they do not fully understand the complexities of the U.S. immigration system or why he was taken into custody.
“I am feeling an array of emotions ranging from fear, grief, hope, and support,” Bowser said.
“I have to keep a smiling face and maintain composure when speaking to John on the phone or visiting him because I know how easily those detained can lose hope,” she added.
“No one should have to live in fear or fight an immigration case from detention. It is inhumane.”
Bowser said Calderón has a scheduled hearing on August 20 in Jena.
