A six-year-old girl was left on her own after her father was taken away by ICE when he went to pick up food they had ordered for dinner, the girl’s mom claims.
Adonay Mancia Rodríguez into custody on Sunday when he left his Morristown, New Jersey, home to retrieve the food he ordered from a nearby restaurant for himself and his daughter, Annabella.
‘He walked downstairs to pick up the food and was taken by ICE,’ his partner and Annabella’s mom Gabby Rosa told NJ.com.
Rosa said she was working a shift at a local Walmart when ‘they took him and they left my baby in the apartment, all alone.’
Neighbors who saw the arrest called Rosa to alert her about what had happened.
She claimed a witness told her that Annabella went outside to look for her dad after he did not quickly return.
The little girl was said to have been tearfully roaming the street asking ‘where’s papi?’
Adonay Mancia Rodríguez was detained by ICE, leaving his daughter Annabella in their apartment alone, his partner claims
ICE agents are seen crossing the street near where Rodríguez was detained
Rodríguez’s family claim that he has a clean record and came to the US as a refugee when he was aged 16.
NJ.com reported that Rodríguez has two minor traffic violations on his criminal record.
Rosa said her partner’s mother died when he was very young and he was forced to flee his native country to evade gang violence and poverty. It is unclear where he is originally from.
A GoFundMe created by his aunt Rosa Portillo says that he lived and worked in Morristown for over a decade.
‘He is a hard worker with no criminal record whatsoever who is just trying to provide for his family,’ Portillo wrote.
‘He has a huge family here that is devastated, but most of all is his daughter, who is inconsolable. They are very close and all she wants is to have him back.’
The fundraiser has been created to hire an immigration lawyer.
‘I don’t want [Annabella] to grow up without him, without one of her parents, the same way he did,’ Rosa told NJ.com.
Rodríguez’s family said he came to the US as a refugee when he was 16
Gabby Rosa shared a photo of Annabella, who she said is devastated about her father’s arrest
Rodríguez was taken by ICE at the same time that an immigration operation was being conducted at a laundromat just across the street from his apartment.
That raid resulted in 10 detentions, including a high school student, according to local reports.
Morristown’s Democratic Mayor Tim Dougherty issued a statement following the laundromat blitz.
‘Morristown is a community built by generations of immigrants, and our diversity is one of our greatest strengths,’ he said.
‘Actions like this create fear and uncertainty for families who contribute every day to our schools, businesses and neighborhoods.
‘I want our immigrant residents to know that the Town of Morristown stands with you and will continue to advocate for dignity, fairness, and respect for all who call this community home.’
In a video shared on social media, he called upon community immigration lawyers to offer their services free of charge to help those who were ‘swept up’ in the raid.
The Daily Mail has contacted ICE for further comment.
