UPDATE:
A 21-year-old Wisconsin State Trooper who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be released from custody, according to Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s office, who says the congressman contacted the Department of Homeland Security secretary on his behalf. Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, who lives in Onalaska and works out of the Tomah post, was detained by ICE agents at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison on Nov. 5 while waiting to board a domestic flight. According to a statement, Van Orden, who represents Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, contacted DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin directly after learning of Van Der Merwe’s detention.
A 21-year-old Wisconsin State Trooper who came to the United States legally from South Africa as a child is now in federal immigration detention, according to his immigration attorney. Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, who lives in Onalaska and works out of the Tomah post, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at an airport while waiting to board a domestic flight. His attorney claims when Van Der Merwe showed agents his federal work permit and explained he had a pending asylum application, they told him they “did not care,” before detaining and taking him to the Dodge County detention facility. Van Der Merwe’s family claims they have followed the legal immigration process and waited seven years for an asylum interview. He is listed on his father’s pending asylum application and holds a federal work authorization card through 2030. His attorney plans to seek Van Der Merwe’s release on bond, a process expected to take about two weeks.
