ICE arrests Wisconsin state patrol trooper with pending asylum case at airport, attorneys say
The arrest took place during a targeted enforcement operation at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin.Victor J. Blue / Bloomberg via GettyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 6, 2026, 5:37 PM ESTBy Daniella SilvaICE detained a Wisconsin state patrol trooper with a pending asylum case at an airport, his attorneys said Thursday.
Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, an asylum-seeker from South Africa who has a valid federal work authorization, was detained by ICE as he waited to board a domestic flight, according to a statement from the Christopher & De Leon Law Office released Thursday and obtained by NBC affiliate WEAU. He is currently being held at a detention facility in Juneau, Wisconsin, ICE records show.
According to the attorneys’ statement, Van Der Merwe tried to explain that he had a valid work permit and has a asylum application, but the ICE officers “said they did not care, placed him in handcuffs and shackles, and transported him to immigration detention.”
The 21-year-old came to the country legally as a child from South Africa and is included in his father’s asylum application, according to the statement. He has been a Wisconsin state patrol trooper for nearly a year, his attorneys said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News, “To be clear: work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the U.S.”
ICE arrested Van Der Merwe during a targeted enforcement operation at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, on Thursday, DHS said in a statement.
“He entered the country in March 2019 with legal permission to stay until September 2019,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “In defiance of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his admission. This illegal alien will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
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FOR SUBSCRIBERSICE isn’t slowing down, despite voters’ midterms message, sources sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSAs U.S. faces loss of measles-free status, health leaders rethink vaccine strategiesFOR SUBSCRIBERSShe’s got a friend in Hollywood: Looking at mayor-elect Nithya Raman’s industry support FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter GOP demolition in election, Trump embraces role as contractor-in-chiefFOR SUBSCRIBERSHow Abdul El-Sayed swung young men from Trump by 55 points in MichiganFOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. intel agencies’ ‘dark money’ budget under White House scrutiny, sources sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSMaps: How the vote shifted from the 2024 presidential election to 2026FOR SUBSCRIBERSBomb threats fuel disruption, anxiety and a mystery in EuropeFOR SUBSCRIBERSCould playing Sylvester Stallone put Anthony Ippolito in the Oscar ring?FOR SUBSCRIBERSIsrael reels as midterms and Trump’s $4B aid cut point to dramatic shift in U.S. relationsFOR SUBSCRIBERSHasan Piker draws new viewers as he jokingly ushers in ‘Woke 3.0’ on election nightFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhy plunging tech stocks might be just what the market neededFOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters want the Iran war to end. It’s not that easy.FOR SUBSCRIBERSBird flu didn’t turn into a pandemic, but it never went away, eitherFOR SUBSCRIBERSMany Republicans leaned into the ‘culture wars’ on the campaign trail. It didn’t work.Slide 1 of 1Attorney Marc Christopher, who represents Van Der Merwe, said in a statement that the arrest was “inhumane and despicable.”
“Putting a Wisconsin State Trooper behind bars while his asylum case sits unresolved does not make our communities safer,” he said.
In another statement, Christopher said, “Wisconsin trusts Carel to protect the public.”
“DHS owes his family and our community an explanation of why keeping him behind bars is necessary,” he said.
Daniella SilvaDaniella Silva is a national reporter for NBC News, focusing on immigration.
