After ICE arrested his mom, 18-year-old citizen worries he could be next while caring for younger sister
New Orleans — What began as a normal Monday morning for 18-year-old Jonathan Escalante quickly changed when his mother, 38-year-old Vilma Cruz, called to tell him that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had pulled up behind her car in Kenner, Louisiana.
"She told the man in Spanish that 'I didn't do anything to you, sir,' and then she hung up the call," Escalante said in a broadcast exclusive interview with CBS News. "And then I wasn't able to call her ever since."
Another relative said she was on the phone with Cruz when she heard ICE agents yelling to open the door. The next thing she heard was the window breaking, before the phone went dead.
Cruz, who is from Honduras and has lived in the U.S. for roughly two decades, had spent nearly three weeks avoiding work because of heightened immigration enforcement in the area, Escalante said. The family had even discussed the night before whether she should leave the house for a painting job.
"'We've all been talking to her as well, that she should probably not go," Escalante said, explaining that recent raids had kept everyone inside.
Cruz's arrest came amid an operation dubbed "Catahoula Crunch," a Department of Homeland Security effort that officials say targets "criminal illegal aliens" in the New Orleans area. Escalante said he does not know his mother's immigration status, but does not believe she's an American citizen. When asked if his mother had a criminal history, Escalante said he was not aware of any crimes she has committed. He's not sure why ICE agents would target his mother for deportation.
ICE officials did not respond to CBS News' repeated requests for comment. ICE officials did not answer repeated requests for information on Cruz and why she was apprehended.
Now, Escalante said he is the sole caregiver for his 9-year-old sister — something he never imagined would happen. Unlike their mother, the two siblings are both American citizens, but he still worries about being detained. He said he sometimes carries around his passport, just in case.
"Because I am afraid of ICE agents just stopping me because they feel like it," Escalante said.
That fear isn't unfounded. More than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents so far this year, according to a ProPublica report.
Jacelynn Guzman, a U.S. citizen, was chased by ICE agents last week in New Orleans.
"I immediately started telling him, 'I'm born and raised here. I'm a U.S. citizen.' And he did not care at all," Guzman said. "I didn't know if I should run or not, I was scared, but then another car pulled up and I was like I'm out of here."
Agents later said she matched the description of a suspect.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, a prominent civil rights group, is looking at legal action to stop the detention operations in Louisiana. A LULAC spokesman told CBS News that they have set up a GoFundMe page for the family to help with expenses and bills. The spokesman also added that LULAC officials believe Cruz is being held in a Mississippi detention facility.
As the family waits for news, Escalante described the way his mother sounded on the phone before the line went dead.
"She just sounded really worried, and her voice wasn't shaky — I'm pretty sure she was forcing herself, because she probably didn't want me to hear that from her," Escalante said, adding, "We've had bumps here and there, but she would never show me the side of her where she has to worry about bills and all that other stuff."