Photos: Advocates voice support for Tucson DACA recipient detained by ICE
Mo Goldman, immigration attorney representing DACA recipient Karla Toledo, held a press conference near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office in Tucson on Wednesday afternoon.
Karla Toledo, 31, who has lived in the United States since she was 1 year old, was taken into custody by federal agents early Monday at her Tucson home as she was preparing to leave for work.
In a Wednesday statement, an unnamed DHS spokesperson claimed Toledo had "illegally entered" the U.S. in 2024, after taking a trip. DHS also claimed Toledo assaulted a law enforcement officer who was "attempting to apprehend another individual" on Monday, without providing evidence.
Toledo's attorney and supporters denied both allegations, citing documentation giving Toledo permission to leave the U.S. for travel in 2024, and citing home-security video from the Monday arrest.
"DHS is misconstruing and distorting facts," Mo Goldman, one of Toledo's attorneys, told media on Wednesday afternoon. "There is surveillance footage that shows Ms. Toledo did not an assault a DHS officer."
Toledo's parents, Veronica and Victor Ortiz, said Toledo has no criminal record and that her status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, was up to date.
The DACA program was created in 2012 to protect from deportation immigrants such as Toledo who were brought to the U.S. as children and grew up in this country but have no legal immigration status. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has started targeting immigrants with protection from deportation under DACA.
Veronica Ortiz, middle, mother of Karla Toledo, cries during a press conference about her daughter near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office on South Country Club Road in Tucson on May 20, 2026.
Mo Goldman, immigration attorney representing DACA recipient Karla Toledo, speaks during a press conference near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office, South Country Club Road in Tucson on May 20, 2026.
Elvira Din speaks on behalf of U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Arizona, during the press conference about Karla Toledo's detention by ICE.
Veronica Ortiz, mother of Karla Toledo, holds onto her loved ones during the press conference.
Veronica Ortiz, left, mother of DACA recipient and now ICE detainee Karla Toledo, holds onto her loved ones during a press conference near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office in Tucson on May 20, 2026.
Carolina Silva, Scholarships A-Z executive director, speaks during a press conference about DACA recipient and now ICE detainee Karla Toledo near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office in Tucson on May 20, 2026.
Veronica Ortiz, mother of Karla Toledo is comforted by her loved ones during a press conference for her daughter near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office, South Country Club Road, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2026.
Carolina Silva, left middle, Scholarships A-Z Executive Director and Mo Goldman, immigration attorney representing DACA recipient Karla Toledo answer questions from the press near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office, South Country Club Road, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2026.
Grace Trejo
Photojournalist
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