U.S. immigration authorities arrested and interrogated a German national who is a legal permanent U.S. resident at Boston Logan International Airport on March 7, according to the man’s mother and his partner. Days later, he was transferred to a federal detention facility.
Fabian Schmidt, 34, is now being held at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement online database. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an emailed statement Monday, an assistant commissioner of public affairs at U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said: “If statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal.”
“Due to federal privacy regulations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection cannot disclose details about specific cases,” said the assistant commissioner, Hilton Beckham.
Astrid Senior, Schmidt’s mother, said she and her son moved to the U.S. from Germany in 2007 and received green cards in 2008. He lives in New Hampshire and renewed his legal permanent resident status last year, she said.
Senior said she has no idea why her son is being detained by U.S. immigration officials. She said her son, who once lived in California, faced misdemeanor charges roughly a decade ago. He has no active legal or court issues, Senior said.
“I feel helpless. Absolutely helpless,” Senior said.
Senior and Schmidt’s partner, Bhavani Hodgkins, confirmed the family has retained a lawyer to work on his case. The lawyer, David Keller, did not immediately respond to an email and text message requesting more information Monday.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up border enforcement and moved to tighten immigration policies. Schmidt’s case raises questions about how federal immigration officials will treat people who are permanent legal residents.
The news of Schmidt’s arrest and detention was first reported by WGBH, a Boston area public…
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