‘They punish people for nothing’: Family of Canadian woman detained by ICE pleads for help to bring her home

ICE has detained at least 50 Canadians so far since the Trump administration imposed an immigration crackdown. Heather Wright reports.

The family of a Montreal woman detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States is speaking out as her relatives desperately try to find ways to get her released.

Paula Callejas has been in the custody of ICE since the beginning of April and her family says it has spent thousands of dollars on lawyer fees to secure her release, but so far nothing has worked.

“This is really horrible for her,” said her mother, Maria Estella Cano, who was with her daughter when she was arrested. “They punish people for nothing.”

Callejas had been travelling to the U.S. for years as she grew her swimsuit business. She had purchased properties in Florida and a visa application was being processed when she was arrested after an altercation with her then-boyfriend, her family said.

According to her mother, the couple got into a fight and Callejas was slapped and shoved to the ground. Her then-boyfriend took her phone, which she was trying to get back to call police when she scratched his arm, her family says.

He called police instead, and she was arrested and charged with a misdemeanour.

Since then, Callejas has been moved to multiple detention centres, where her family says she is sometimes crammed into a cell with six other people. Her family says a woman died while she was at a facility in Jacksonville, Fla.

She is currently in Arizona where her anxiety medication has been taken away, according to her family, who says it is struggling to get basic information about her case.

“She’s scared,” said Cano, who is able to speak to her daughter a few times a week. “She says, ‘Mummy, I’m asking. I’m asking them, please let me go, please let me go.’ Why are they keeping her there?”

As part of its immigration crackdown, the Trump administration has pushed ICE to make at least 3,000 arrests a day. It says the people it’s targeting are murderers and drug dealers, but many more are being caught up in the raids.

Global Affairs Canada says at least 55 Canadians are currently in ICE custody, a number the government calls “typical,” though it notes this can fluctuate.

While GAC won’t provide specific information on Callejas’s case due to privacy, it said, “Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather more information as well as with the individual to provide consular assistance.”

At least one Canadian has been released from ICE custody since the immigration crackdowns began.

Jasmine Mooney was arrested in March after trying to renew her work visa at a border crossing. She was held for nearly two weeks before being released.

Last month, Canadian Johnny Noviello died while in ICE custody. The 49-year-old had been a legal permanent resident of the United States since 1991 and had recently served nearly a year in prison on racketeering and drug trafficking charges. He was detained by ICE in May “pending removal proceedings.” The cause of Noviello’s death is under investigation.

Callejas’s family says it was the death of Johnny Noviello that prompted relatives to speak out. They worry about Callejas’s mental health and fear she could die in custody.

“We are ready to send the ticket for her now,” Cano said. “She wants to come home to Canada.”

With files from CTV’s Kristen Yu