Kaitlynn Milne says her mother, Madonna “Donna” Kashanian, is always the first one awake in their New Orleans home. The early morning hours are her favorite time—peaceful, quiet, and perfect for gardening or tidying up the shed while the rest of the neighborhood sleeps.
“She always tells us, ‘I’ve done half my day before you even wake up,’” said Kaitlynn, 32, smiling. That early-riser spirit, driven by her love of caring for others, has long defined Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian immigrant, mother, wife, home cook, PTA volunteer, and lifelong advocate for community service.
But the morning of Sunday, June 22, was unlike any other.
While her husband, Russell Milne, slept inside, Donna stepped outside to start her usual morning chores. That’s when plainclothes men approached her in the yard and identified themselves as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Without warning, she was arrested and taken away—her family unaware until a neighbor who had witnessed the scene came to alert them.
According to the neighbor, multiple agents arrived in three unmarked cars. Donna was handcuffed and swiftly driven away, while one car appeared to be stationed nearby as a lookout, possibly waiting for a moment when she was alone.
“If that neighbor hadn’t walked out at the exact right time, we wouldn’t have known she was taken,” said Russell.
Roughly an hour later, Donna was able to call her family and tell them what had happened. ICE agents informed her she was initially being transported to a holding facility in Mississippi, and would later be moved to a detention center in Basile, Louisiana. After that first call, she wasn’t able to speak with her husband or daughter again until Tuesday.
Despite having no criminal record and a decades-long history of compliance with immigration regulations, Donna remains in ICE custody.
Her arrest came just hours after U.S. airstrikes in Iran and amid a broader Trump administration crackdown on undocumented and asylum-seeking immigrants, especially from countries like Iran. Civil liberties advocates have raised concerns about the growing number of aggressive, unannounced ICE arrests nationwide, often involving masked agents and early morning detentions.
Donna’s story began in 1978, when she arrived in the U.S. on a student visa. Fearing political persecution due to her father’s connections to the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran, she applied for asylum. Though her request was denied, she was granted a stay of removal—contingent on complying with regular immigration check-ins, which her family says she always faithfully attended.
“She even checked in from South Carolina during Hurricane Katrina,” Kaitlynn said.
Despite the ongoing legal uncertainty, Donna immersed herself in volunteer work. She helped rebuild homes with Habitat for Humanity after Katrina, replanted trees with the Nola Tree Project, and was a fixture in the PTA at her daughter’s schools from elementary through high school.
“She was always around—helping teachers, helping janitors, doing anything she could,” Kaitlynn said. “Everyone knew her as ‘Kaitlynn’s mom.’”
She’s also known online as Mandonna in the Kitchen, the name of her YouTube channel where she shares beloved Persian recipes. Her joy and warmth are hard to miss—unless, as her family jokes, someone messes up a pot of rice. “That’s the one thing that can shake her calm,” said Kaitlynn, laughing.
Now, Donna calls her family once a day from the Louisiana detention center, though those calls are short and infrequent. “She’s in good spirits,” said Russell. “But she’s more worried about us—and the fact that no one is giving her any clear information. She still doesn’t have a case worker assigned.”
Kaitlynn and Russell have been working non-stop to secure legal help. But with an immigration system under strain from a surge in arrests and detentions, finding an available attorney has been extremely difficult.
“We’ve been on the phone from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. almost every day this past week,” said Kaitlynn. “Most lawyers we talk to are already overwhelmed with other urgent cases. We haven’t had much encouraging news so far.”
Despite the challenges, Kaitlynn is determined to stay strong. But her voice falters as she recalls one tender memory from childhood—when her mother organized and painted a small corner of her elementary school library to create a French book nook.
“I had completely forgotten about that,” she said, through tears. “She just saw something missing and filled the gap, like she always does.”
For now, the family is focused on one goal: getting Donna out of detention.
“We’ve started a grassroots campaign and a letter-writing initiative to advocate for her release,” Russell said. “Once she’s home, we can move forward with the legal process. But right now, we just want her back.”
