A Family Under Siege: Detroit father detained again
By Faith Ballard / DETROIT – Weeks after being released on bond from a three month detainment at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, despite the cold and heavy snow outside, Oscar Martinez-Gomez was busy adding a rail onto the porch of the family home before joining Latino Press Detroit for his last interview in January. On May 2, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) again.
For families, separation due to migrant policies, or fear of it, the Journal of Social Science & Medicine reports, can be traumatic experiences leaving short-term, long-term and generational impacts. For children under 17, the CDC defines these experiences as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that impact health, well-being and life opportunities into adulthood.
Following a death at the North Lake facility in December 2025, currently holding over 1,400 people according to recent data, U.S. Representatives Hillary Scholten and Haley Stevens completed an oversight inspection after their requests to ICE remained pending for 64 days. In a report dated Feb. 26 later obtained through a public records request, the medical examiner concluded the cause was natural, MLive reported.
In April after reports of continued hunger strikes, inhumane conditions, medical neglect and legal delays were reported by people detained at the North Lake facility, ACLU of Michigan and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center called for Congress to take action. Then, in May the organizations also issued a complaint to the ICE Detroit Field Office including the documentation of concerns and urged compliance with federal and constitutional requirements. On June 1, Michigan Public reported the alleged sexual assault of a Venezuelan immigrant while detained at the North Lake facility.
Oscar, independent contractor and father of three from Detroit, was driving to pick up his daughter, Tanya Martinez-Salazar, when he noticed a car driving aggressively behind him. The passengers inside wore what appeared to be bullet proof vests, signaling for him to pull over.
When Oscar continued driving, unsure of the identity of the passengers, they continued too. Then their siren came on, indicating it was the authorities. He pulled over, he said this time they were rough when pulling him out of his vehicle, twisting his wrist to pin him against the car.
At the time of publication, no cause has been provided for Oscar’s re-detainment. Months after coming home, paying the costs of bond and legal fees, gathering letters of support, navigating months of obstacles sparked by his unexpected absence, the family again finds themselves making the seven-hour roundtrip drive to visit him at the North Lake facility.
When Latino Press Detroit first spoke to Tanya, she was a college freshman at U of M Dearborn. Now, a sophomore with twin sisters going into their first year of high school. These sisters are some of the many young people thrust into navigating a rapidly accelerating federal immigration enforcement system in the US.
On the long drive to visit their father, the twins gaze out of the car windows into the morning sky as music pours from their headphones. Their mother naps, tired from the overnight shift. Tanya said her mother was saving for a new car again after Oscar returned home. When he was detained again, this goal was put off a second time.
The legal process is moving slower than before, the family said. At times, calls from Oscar’s lawyer go unanswered by staff at North Lake facility or if the call drops he’s unable to be reconnected. For the first two weeks Oscar’s request to meet with his lawyer remained pending until the day before the requested date.
In our last report, experts said the immigration enforcement strategies used by ICE and DHS were growing faster, harder and with fewer guardrails than in previous years. During his second time at the North Lake Facility, he said it’s clearer now the current migrant policies are about profit.
Phone calls, blankets, prayer rugs, warm clothing, or additional food are only available by purchase. Medical concerns are addressed within a short early morning clinic hour. Through persistence from Oscar’s family, he was able to access his medication. Meal timing and limited portions spark incidents of upset and aggravation from detainees. A private ambulance services emergency calls.
The type of people detained now, Oscar said, is anyone who isn’t White, like his new friend who only speaks Mandarin and is now learning Spanish. Those with language barriers who do not have outside support or are unable to be located are pressured to sign self-deportation forms.
Robert Tsigler, a New York–based immigration attorney, in our last report, said, “ICE’s current arrest and detention policies are technically based on existing statutes, but the way they are administered is discretionary and open to abuse,”. In the months following, ICE and DHS have gained widespread attention for incidents including the killing of civilians Renee Good and Alex Pretti, detainment of Native Americans and US veterans.
Driving past fresh construction in the quiet town of Baldwin, Oscar’s family expresses excitement to share updates and hoping he can be home to see one of the twins graduate as valedictorian of her middle school class.
Tanya’s is just one of the cars that file into the visitor parking lot. The families, many with small children, empty from them and begin to check compliance with the dress code, that necessary paperwork is in order before entering the facility, going through metal detectors, having personal items screened, then waiting hours for their turn to spend a half-hour with detained family members.
When Oscar is able to see the judge, the family said, his lawyer anticipates he’ll be released. Coming home from the drive Tanya once hoped would be the route of a family vacation, she said felt annoyed. Why? Because guards tried joking with them about recent high gas prices and having to come back for Memorial Day weekend.
The North Lake Processing Center is one of six immigration detention facilities in Michigan. After recent leadership changes at DHS, the purchase of a property in Romulus with the purpose of expanding Michigan’s immigrant detention capacity was paused. A May 11 decision from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that detainments by DHS without due process were unlawful and in violation of the Fifth Amendment. No response from ACLU Michigan and MIRC’s requests to Congress or the ICE Detroit Field Office have been reported at this time.
