Indonesian-born nurse detained by ICE on family trip to Disneyland
Monica Ryadi, an Indonesian-born registered nurse living in Philadelphia, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement while travelling to Disneyland with her American husband and three-year-old son. She spent two weeks in custody before being released and reunited with them, drawing attention to the limits and conditions attached to her immigration status.
Ryadi entered the US in 2005 at age nine, according to her account, while federal officials say she was admitted for six months and later overstayed. Her lawyer says an immigration judge granted her withholding of removal in 2010, which protects her from deportation but does not provide a route to citizenship. She was released on 29 September and completed an ICE check-in while wearing an ankle monitor on 15 October.
- Nurse Monica Ryadi was detained by ICE during a family trip to Disneyland.
- She was held for two weeks and reunited with her family on 29 September.
- Her lawyer says a 2010 ruling protected her from deportation.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The government can argue that immigration rules and court orders must be enforced consistently, including when someone has overstayed a visa, and that detention may be used to confirm identity, status or compliance with removal proceedings. Withholding of removal protects Ryadi from deportation to a particular country but does not itself grant lawful permanent residence or citizenship, so officials may say her status remains subject to enforcement and monitoring under the law.
The case against
Critics can argue that detaining a long-term resident who arrived as a child, has protection from deportation and poses no reported public-safety threat is disproportionate, especially when it separates a family during an ordinary trip. They may contend that her years in the US, nursing work and American family support a more humane and stable immigration status, and that detention and ankle monitoring impose serious burdens without a clear necessity.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Indonesian nurse seized by ICE during trip to Disneyland with her American husband and son”.