The 85-Year-Old Widow Snagged by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown; The New York Times, April 25, 2026

 Catherine Porter, The New York Times; The 85-Year-Old Widow Snagged by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

"Her story gives a glimpse into the opaque labyrinth of immigrant-detention sites operated by the Trump administration, where many like her see no lawyer, have no sense of where they are and understand little of why they are held or, in her case, later released. It also raises questions about how that system may be weaponized: A judge said in a ruling that she believed that Ms. Ross-Mahé’s stepson Tony Ross, who had been fighting with her over her late husband’s estate, instigated her arrest.

The New York Times could not independently confirm the details of her experience in detention, but it aligns with the accounts of others who have been detained in similar circumstances. Tony and his brother, Gary Ross, did not respond to requests for comment, nor did their lawyer.

The experience stunned Ms. Ross-Mahé, who previously considered herself a supporter of President Trump and so admired his policy to deport illegal immigrants that she thought it should be adopted in France.

“I didn’t think these things existed,” she said of the immigration facilities she was held in. “I thought that when we arrested them, we would treat them properly. It really shocked me.”

She added, “They treat them like dogs, not in a human way.”

Asked for comment, the Homeland Security Department said in a statement that “all detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.” It added that “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens” and is “regularly audited and inspected by external agencies.”"

Judge Temporarily Blocks Deportation of 5-Year-Old Detained in Minneapolis Suburb; The New York Times, January 27, 2026

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs , The New York Times; Judge Temporarily Blocks Deportation of 5-Year-Old Detained in Minneapolis Suburb

An image of the boy, wearing a Spider-Man backpack as he was detained by federal agents, became a symbol of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

"A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the deportation of a 5-year-old boy and his father who were arrested in a Minneapolis suburb in an operation that further stirred the outrage over the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.

The boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were arrested last week in Columbia Heights, Minn., shortly after the father had picked the boy up from school, according to school district officials. They were quickly taken to an immigration detention center outside San Antonio, where they remain.

In his order, Judge Fred Biery of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas told the federal government that it could not move the boy or his father out of his court’s jurisdiction while they challenged their detention.

The detention of the boy and his father by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents became a flashpoint in the Twin Cities, where anger has continued to grow over the surge of federal agents in the region. The image of Liam, wearing a Spider-Man backpack and a large winter hat as he was detained by federal agents, quickly became emblematic of the harsh effects of the government’s tactics in Minnesota."