Venezuelan student athlete detained by ICE while family seeks answers

LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (WILX) - A Venezuelan student athlete at Cleary University is in ICE custody while her family waits for answers.

Karliana Perdomo is being held at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, the largest ICE detention center in the state.

Perdomo’s family says she is a dedicated student and a hard-working athlete. They say they went hours without hearing from her and only found out about what happened through social media.

“The family actually found out what had happened via a Facebook post at around 8:30 in the morning,” said Debora, a friend of the family who helped translate.

Perdomo was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a traffic stop on Tuesday while she was on her way to her brother’s house.

ICE agents told Perdomo they pulled her over because her license plate had been red-flagged, but her sister Dargis says she has doubts about their story.

“Simple for the fact that she has a valid driver’s license, they have insurance on the vehicle, and even her car note is paid up to date,” Dargis said. “She has no tickets or any other issues.”

The Perdomo family says Karliana has an approved and unexpired temporary protected status and has an asylum case pending, which they say could take years.

Dargis says she’s been able to talk to her sister on video chat, where Karliana has raised concerns about her education, her scholarship status, and the conditions of the facility.

“She does have an actual contract through her sport, a scholarship that pays for her schooling through her sport,” Dargis said. “So obviously, she’s not going to be able to do that while she’s detained.”

The university told the family her class status would freeze to not affect her grades or their financial status.

The center confirmed she is detained there but could not provide further details. The facility has previously faced questions from lawmakers and advocates about the conditions detainees are living under.

Perdomo’s family says she is going to remain resilient.

“She’s trying to stay strong in there and not show, you know, that she’s been really affected by the situation, just yet,” Dargis said.

Perdomo’s family says Karliana has her first hearing scheduled for June 8. They say their main goal is to be able to submit a bond application to set a bond. They want to request that Perdomo is able to continue her asylum process outside of detainment.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not responded to requests for comment and clarification on Perdomo’s detention.

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