U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have recently detained two men in Alaska, sparking concerns over a rising number of arrests and deportations under the current presidential administration.
According to the Alaska Department of Corrections, at least 11 individuals have been arrested by ICE since January 2025, indicating a significant increase in detentions in a state that usually sees fewer such actions.
Local immigration attorneys have described this uptick as “shocking,” particularly as the administration pushes toward its goal of deporting 1 million immigrants during this term.
Data from the state shows that ICE has detained almost the same number of individuals in just the first half of the year as it did throughout all of 2024. This statistic may not represent the complete picture, as some detainees are transported directly out of state, falling outside the purview of the Department of Corrections, which contracts with ICE to temporarily house them.
ICE representatives were unable to provide specific details regarding total arrests in Alaska.
Among those detained is Cristian Ibanez Velasquez, a 32-year-old man from Peru, who was arrested just after dropping off his wife, Paola Jimenez, at her workplace in Anchorage. Jimenez, a U.S. citizen and resident of Anchorage, shared her distressing experience of trying to obtain information about her husband after his arrest.
“His call was unexpected,” Jimenez recounted, explaining that Ibanez Velasquez informed her he was in handcuffs and being detained by ICE. During his arrest in their driveway, the officer did not provide an interpreter, which complicated the situation as Ibanez Velasquez only speaks Spanish.
According to an ICE officer who communicated with Jimenez, her husband would be held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex and subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, before being deported back to Peru.
Ibanez Velasquez entered the U.S. illegally through Arizona in 2022, but he maintained regular contact with immigration authorities, updating them about his address changes from Chicago to Anchorage. This included weekly photo submissions through a federal application designed to monitor his location.
Despite adhering to immigration reporting requirements, Jimenez stated that her husband was issued an order for removal after missing a court appearance in New York in 2023—a fact he was unaware of until contacted by local immigration attorney Nicolas Olano.
The order ultimately limited the legal avenues available for Olano to assist Jimenez and Ibanez Velasquez in overturning the deportation order. This unexpected news was shocking for the couple, who had met in 2023 and married in the fall of 2024.
Jimenez questioned the timing of the enforcement action, pointing out that the same ICE officer who had conducted check-ins with her husband ultimately detained him. “It raises questions about the process,” she said. “If there was a deportation order, why was he not informed earlier?”
With limited financial means, Jimenez and her husband could not afford legal assistance to secure the correct documentation for his stay in the United States. Now, amidst the uncertainty following her husband’s detention, she wishes only for him to return to Peru swiftly, expressing, “The only thing we want right now is for him to go back home.”
In recent days, Jimenez has visited her husband several times at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he was placed in a yellow jumpsuit and separated from her by a glass barrier. Their conversations were hindered by a lack of interpretation services at the facility, which he highlighted while discussing issues related to his medication needs.
Alaska Department of Law spokesperson Patty Sullivan affirmed that the Department of Corrections offers the same level of care for federal immigration detainees as for state inmates, including medical access and translation services when necessary. Despite this, Ibanez Velasquez expressed frustration about the lack of communication and information during his detention period.
On Thursday morning, an online detainee locator indicated that Ibanez Velasquez was still in Anchorage, but by Friday afternoon, Jimenez learned he had been transferred to Tacoma. As of that time, she had not heard from him, reflecting the challenging emotional turmoil she faced.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Jimenez lamented, emphasizing how their lives have changed drastically overnight. The couple enjoyed simple pleasures, like visiting La Michoacana for treats or watching television with their two cats. Now, she returns home to an empty house, uncertain of when she might next hear from her spouse.
Jimenez’s plans now involve traveling to Peru once her husband is deported, underscoring the couple’s commitment to each other despite the geographic separation imposed by the current immigration actions.
As Alaska witnesses a rise in ICE detentions, stories like that of Jimenez and Ibanez Velasquez underscore the personal impacts of wider immigration enforcement policies, leaving families fragmented and raising questions about the processes and protections available to those navigating the complex U.S. immigration system.
image source from：https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2025/05/30/her-husband-is-getting-deported-she-plans-to-leave-anchorage-to-meet-him-in-peru/
