Three teenagers from Kentucky are desperately trying to raise money for a lawyer after their father was arrested on a minor traffic charge and later taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Adrian Garcia-Zaragoza, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, was arrested last Thursday due to an outstanding warrant for failing to pay a traffic violation, according to his family.
After his arrest, he was handed over to ICE and now faces possible deportation.
ICE has increased immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Just last week, ICE officials announced that 81 people were detained in Kentucky between March 10 and March 14.
Garcia-Zaragoza’s three teenage children—Kadence Walker, 19, Selena Garcia, 18, and Isaiah Garcia, 17—are now struggling to gather funds for legal fees and preparing for life without their father.
The teens sold whatever they could, including TVs and Isaiah’s truck, to pay their father’s $1,500 bail.
But despite making the payment, Garcia-Zaragoza was not released and was instead transferred to ICE custody.
Walker said they’ve been informed that he has a deportation order, which they claim he wasn’t even aware of. Garcia-Zaragoza had a work permit and was working through the immigration court process to become a legal citizen.
However, after their home burned down in 2022, he lost the documents needed to complete the process and never returned to court.
“We were told today that he has a deportation order. He didn’t even know about it,” Walker told the Herald-Leader.
Federal immigration officials have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Walker shared that their financial struggles have been overwhelming. “We sold everything—TVs, my brother sold his truck and truck parts—just to pay the deposit.
Now we have to worry about food, rent, water, and everything else if he doesn’t get out,” Walker told WKYT, a partner of the Herald-Leader.
The teens consulted a lawyer on Wednesday, but it’s unclear if there’s anything that can be done to stop the deportation.
Walker said her father was arrested on her brother’s birthday, and her brother still hasn’t touched his birthday cake because their dad wasn’t there to celebrate.
The situation is further complicated by another person with a similar name who has a criminal record involving more serious charges.
“I’ve had to explain to the lawyers that’s not my dad,” Walker said. Court records show that Garcia-Zaragoza’s violations have mainly been for driving without a license, unpaid fines, and one misdemeanor public intoxication charge.
Garcia-Zaragoza not only supports his three children but also Walker’s aunt and her ill grandmother.
Walker described her father as the backbone of their family, working various construction and remodeling jobs to keep them afloat.
After the house fire, he couldn’t afford to hire an attorney to finish his immigration paperwork.
“He paid taxes every year,” Walker said, adding that her father chose to support the family rather than spend the money on legal fees.
“We feel guilty because he prioritized us over becoming a citizen,” Walker admitted. “He would do anything for us, and now we can’t help him.”
Walker described her father on Facebook as a kind and generous person. “He’s everything to us. He’s always been there for us and given us everything we needed. My dad is the most caring person I’ve ever met,” she wrote.
While some people have shown support, others have posted anti-immigrant comments online.
The teens have tried raising money through Venmo and Cash App, but they’ve faced setbacks. Fraudsters have created multiple fake Venmo accounts to steal from their fundraiser.
“They’ve set up like four phony accounts,” Walker said.
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