Who is Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe? ICE detained Wisconsin state trooper while boarding flight, releases him nearly 24 hours later

ICE officials on Thursday, November 6, detained a state trooper from Wisconsin. Enforcement officials detained Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, while he was waiting to board a domestic flight to meet his parents, ABC News reported citing his lawyers.

The detention was part of a targeted ICE operation, the Department of Homeland Security said. Van Der Merwe was held at an immigration centre inside the Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin.

According to Van Der Merwe’s lawyers the state trooper faced deportation to South Africa. They added that, while being detained Van Der Merwe told the ICE officers that he possessed a work permit and also a pending asylum application. However, “the officer said they did not care,” his lawyer said, according to ABC News. Van Der Merwe was then placed in handcuffs and shackles and transported to the detention centre, his lawyers added.

The state trooper came to US from South Africa

The 21-year-old Wisconsin state trooper came to the US as a child in March from South Africa legally. He sought asylum and has been waiting for an asylum interview for seven years, according to his lawyer. The lawyer added that Van Der Merwe is also included in his father’s asylum application.

Van Der Merwe lives in Onalaska and works at the Tomah post. He has worked as a state patrol trooper for almost a year now. According to his lawyer, Van Der Merwe wanted to serve in the military, however his immigration status did not allow him to do so, which is why he chose law enforcement. He studied criminal justice at the New Mexico Military Institute.

According to a DHS statement, Van Der Merwe who entered the US in March 2019, had legal permission to stay in the country only until September 2019. “In defiance of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his admission. The illegal alien will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceeding,” the statement said.

Van Der Merwe was later released from custody

According to WKBT news, Van Der Merwe had a conversation with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He was later released on Friday, November 6, after being held at the detention facility for nearly 24 hours. ICE detainee logs showed that he was out of custody, ABC News’ local channel WISN reported.

His lawyer Chistopher said in a statement that, “his release does not erase what he and his family have been through…There is still no explanation why DHS detained him or why exactly he is being released now.” He added that these were the answers that the state trooper’s family and the community deserved.