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A heartbreaking image of a man breaking down in tears at an ICE facility parking lot after his wife was reportedly detained has gone viral.
Photographs understood to have been taken at the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois last week show the devastated man sitting on the ground clutching his phone.
The images have not been verified, but first appeared on the Instagram account Humanizing Through Story and on media personality Rafael Bello’s page.
- Viral photos show a man in tears at Broadview ICE facility after tracking his detained wife by phone signal.
- The man’s wife was reportedly detained at a courthouse and moved to another state without explanation.
- ICE detainee numbers reached a record high of 66,000, rising by nearly 70% since Trump took office.
A man reportedly ran towards an ICE facility after tracking his wife there
Image credits: Instagram
According to the unverified reports, the man ran towards the facility in a desperate bid to trace his wife after she was detained by immigration agents at a courthouse.
He reportedly followed her to the detention center after tracking her phone.
Humanizing Through Story, an independent photojournalism account that documents social, racial, and environmental justice movements, told its 88,000 followers that the man’s wife had been moved out of state.
“A man ran up to the Broadview ICE facility today stopped by police visibly distraught and in desperate search for his wife of five years who was taken by ICE earlier at the courthouse,” the initial post from November 7 read.
Image credits: Instagram
“They were doing everything right following the legal process and showing up for her court case when she was suddenly taken to another room and disappeared by ICE. He wasn’t told anything and had to track her phone to Broadview where the signal cut off.
“As he ran up the middle of the road police confronted him and told him to look up her name online but that was all he could do. He sat in a nearby parking lot weeping confused terrified and with no answers. This is what was reported to me by a community member who offered aid and resources to him on site.”
The images have since gone viral on social media, with users sharply criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the actions of ICE.
Image credits: Instagram
As part of his mass deportation plan, Trump has ordered a major recruitment drive for ICE, with officials claiming it has paid off.
According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, over 200,000 people have applied to join ICE.
“ICE has received more than 200,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. Americans are answering their country’s call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our country,” Noem said in a statement.
It comes as statistics reviewed by CBS News revealed that 66,000 detainees are in ICE custody, which is a record high.
ICE agents are facing repeated scrutiny over their actions
Image credits: Instagram
Since Trump took office in January, the detainee population in ICE facilities has risen by nearly 70%.
The actions of immigration agents have repeatedly come under scrutiny as the department continues to enforce Trump’s plans.
One recent incident to make headlines was a video reportedly showing a man having a seizure as ICE tried to detain his wife in Massachusetts on Thursday.
Carlos Zapata, 24, spoke to The Boston Globe after the traffic stop and said agents were pushing him and his wife together, with their one-year-old child between them.
ICE grabs father by the neck—send him into violent seizure while his arms lock up around his toddler.
“He’s having seizure and they’re trying to rip the baby out of his hands!”
Agents then handcuff him—before putting in ambulance with his child.
Mother is detained by agents as… pic.twitter.com/6vzFKArdJb
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) November 7, 2025
“I had convulsions or something. I don’t know what they did to me,” Zapata said, adding that he blacked out when agents pressed his neck.
His wif,e Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, was detained during the stop after she allegedly stabbed her coworker with scissors and threw a trash can at her.
Both entered the U.S. unlawfully from Ecuador, but had an asylum claim pending.
ICE has claimed that Zapata faked a medical emergency in a bid to stop Ojeda-Montoya from being detained.
“Medical personnel found there was no legitimate medical emergency. He was even caught on video on his feet and coherent moments later,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
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