Karla Toledo, a 31-year-old Tucson resident with active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at her home Monday morning — without a judicial warrant, her family says. Within hours, dozens of community members had gathered outside the ICE field office in Tucson demanding her release.
Security footage posted on Instagram by Toledo’s husband shows agents arriving at the home around 8:40 a.m. on May 18. In the video, a woman the family identifies as Toledo can be heard repeatedly asking the agents to show a warrant before entering.
“Where is the warrant? Show me the warrant,” she said.
One of the ICE agents said, “Now you want to play the game, ‘Oh now it needs to be signed by a judge,’ We know what we’re doing. We have a warrant, and it’s signed.”
Toledo’s husband said in an Instagram post that agents never showed a warrant. According to the Arizona Daily Star, after he rushed inside and closed the door, agents pushed so hard that one fell onto the floor inside.
Minutes later, the footage shows five ICE agents escorting a handcuffed Toledo out of the house and into an ICE vehicle.
By 3 p.m. that same day, dozens of community members mobilized outside the ICE office, calling for Toledo’s release.
Toledo’s parents said their daughter has no criminal record and her DACA status was up to date. In an interview with Somos Tucson, Karla’s mother said she brought her daughter to the US from Obrejón, Sonora, when she was 1.
Toledo is a local community advocate and social media influencer with more than 66K followers, creating content focused on biking and body positivity. A recent social media post of hers focused on immigration, with Toledo writing “Immigration is not a crime. Culture is not a threat. Children are not bargaining chips. This isn’t political, it’s inhumane,” before asking her followers to donate to local immigration advocacy groups.
A DHS spokesperson said Toledo “illegally entered the country on October 12, 2024, and was released into the United States by the Biden administration,” adding that ICE had an “active warrant and a pending application for DACA.”
DHS also alleged Toledo allegedly assaulted a law enforcement officer during the detention and said DACA does not protect individuals from deportation.
Calls for release
DACA was created in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama to provide temporary relief, work permits, driver’s licenses, and Social Security numbers for some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children.
Under the Trump administration, 261 DACA recipients have been detained and 86 deported, according to a letter by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The average wait time for DACA renewals has climbed from a few weeks to more than two months, leaving many recipients in fear and in legal limbo. Toledo’s DACA renewal was still pending at the time of her arrest, according to a local advocate briefed on her case.
Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva later said in an Instagram clip she visited Toledo inside an ICE facility where she confirmed Toledo was “physically okay,” and called for her immediate release.
“She is a member of our community, has dedicated herself to education, advocacy, is regularly an interpreter for other people, she’s part of foundations, and she’s in there,” Grijalva said. “She shouldn’t be. This is horrible. We’re praying for you Karla.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Mesa) joined Grijalva in calling for Toledo’s release in a post on X, writing that “Dreamers are Americans, and I’ll keep fighting this administration’s failed mass deportation agenda every step of the way.”
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero also issued a statement calling for Toledo’s immediate release and condemned the Trump administration for its policies.
“The Trump Administration continues its cruel and inhumane policies through their pattern of not focusing their immigration enforcement on violent criminals, instead focusing on people and working families who are following the legal process,” Romero said. “Now, they are attacking DACA recipients.”
A fundraising link has been set up to assist the family with legal costs.
