Tempe: Rep. Greg Stanton Condemns ICE Detention of Tempe Mother and 14-Year-Old Student

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton is publicly criticizing federal immigration authorities after ICE detained a Tempe mother and her 14-year-old son and transported them to Texas.

Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, announced on social media Wednesday that the pair were being held at the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas. He said his office is working with local officials to reach the family.

"This family should be home tonight, celebrating their son's 8th grade promotion, not in federal detention hundreds of miles away," Stanton wrote.

"What I saw there was heartbreaking, and this case reflects the same outrageous, misguided priorities under Trump's mass deportation agenda," Stanton added, referencing a visit he made to Dilley the day before.

Who Was Detained

ICE confirmed that Margoth Paredes, 47, and her son, Dilan Paredes, 14, were taken into custody and sent to Texas.

According to ICE, Paredes, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, was arrested after being found in a vehicle suspected of involvement in alien smuggling. The vehicle allegedly failed to stop for Border Patrol agents.

Family members said the arrest occurred near a Walmart at Rural and Southern avenues in Tempe. They said Paredes contacted her older children for help, but ICE also detained them. ICE has confirmed only that it is holding Paredes and her son.

School District Responds

ICE said Paredes voluntarily contacted her son's school and requested that he be released so he could meet her while she was in custody. A school administrator escorted Dilan to awaiting officers, according to ICE.

Dilan, an eighth grader at Cecil Shamley School, had been scheduled to attend a promotion ceremony Thursday morning. The Tempe Elementary School District said the ceremony proceeded without parents or guests to ensure safety for all students.

Community members gathered Wednesday outside Cecil Shamley School after reports spread that federal immigration authorities were present near the campus. The district clarified that the detention did not occur at the school.

"We could hear behind the house that there was a commotion, so it was really hard to decipher what they were saying exactly, but there was a lot of shouting, shame. The name Dylan was repeated over and over again," neighbor Domini Meredith said.

Political Fallout

Stanton's comments place the detention in the context of broader national immigration policy debates. He framed the case as evidence of what he called excessive enforcement priorities under the current administration.

Congressman Joaquin Castro said the mother and son arrived in San Antonio, according to 12 News.

No further details on the legal status or charges against Paredes have been released by authorities.