ICE arrest during recent enforcement surge disrupts lives of Hopkins family of 4
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Federal officials say they have increased immigration enforcement efforts in the Twin Cities in recent weeks, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests since the beginning of last month.
One of those arrested is Bryam Escobar Martinez, a Minnesota man whose attorney says was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while on his way to work and is now being held unlawfully by federal authorities.
According to his wife, Estefany Escobar, the arrest happened just after 7 a.m. on Monday. She said her husband called to say he had been pulled over by ICE while commuting to work.
“So I immediately got up, got my kids ready. We have two kids, and by the time I got there, he was gone and so was his car,” Escobar said.
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Escobar said she drove to the area in Hopkins where her husband had been stopped and eventually located his car parked near a business center. The keys were still inside.
“When I opened his door, his lunch was still there, which broke me,” she said.
Escobar Martinez is now being held at the Kandiyohi County Jail. His wife said ICE agents did not explain why he was detained.
She said her husband chose to cooperate with agents in hopes of maintaining contact with his family.
“He thought about his kids and said, ‘Well, if I cooperate, then things may run a little more smoother, and I’ll be able to keep in touch with my wife,’” she said.
‘Basic right to liberty’
Escobar Martinez’s attorney, Jennifer Oltarsh, said he came to the United States from El Salvador in 2017 without legal status. He married Escobar, a U.S. citizen, in 2022 and had been pursuing legal status through their marriage.
Oltarsh said Escobar Martinez has no criminal record and that an immigration judge previously dismissed his removal case while he pursued permanent residency.
“I think that he was driving down the street minding his own business, doing everything legally, and he was surrounded by a bunch of ICE agents who arrested him,” Oltarsh said.
Oltarsh has filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court challenging Escobar Martinez’s detention. The petition argues that the detention is unlawful and violates his constitutional rights.
“Basic right to liberty,” Oltarsh said. “I don’t know what is more important in the United States, and foreign nationals have a right to their basic liberty.”
A federal judge has ordered the government to respond to the petition.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Escobar Martinez will get his day in court.
“On January 5, ICE arrested Bryam Escobar-Martinez, an illegal alien from El Salvador during Operation Metro Surge. All of his claims will be heard before an immigration judge, and he will receive full due process,” she said. “This Administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.”
She added that people like Escobar Martinez leave the country voluntarily. “The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."
‘Daddy’s coming home soon’
In the meantime, Escobar said the arrest has placed a strain on their family. She said one of their children has Down syndrome and the other has autism, and that her husband is the family’s primary provider.
She said their three-year-old regularly asks for his father.
“When we come home from school, when he wakes up in the morning, first thing he does is look for his dad,” Escobar said. “And I tell him, honey, Daddy’s coming home soon. He’ll be home soon. I don’t know when, but he’ll be here again.”
Escobar said she worries about what will happen to her family if her husband is deported. She said she decided to speak publicly in hopes of shedding light on how immigration enforcement actions affect families.
“It’s important for others to know the situation that’s going on and how this is affecting our community,” she said.
