INLAND EMPIRE, CA — An Inland Empire woman said she was forced to give birth to her fifth child alone this week after her husband was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers while the couple were on the way to the hospital.

Maria del Carmen Venegas told the Associated Press her husband, Joel Arrona-Lara, was detained when the couple stopped in San Bernardino to get gas.

“Surveillance footage shows two vehicles immediately flank the couple’s van after they pulled into the gas station,” the Associated Press reported. “The surveillance footage shows the agents handcuffing the 35-year-old Arrona Lara and taking him away, leaving a sobbing Venegas alone at the gas station.”

ICE defended the actions of its officers, stating Arrona-Lara is wanted in Mexico on homicide charges.

“Mr. Arrona-Lara, a citizen of Mexico illegally residing in the United States, was taken into custody Wednesday by ICE Fugitive Operations Team officers in San Bernardino, Calif. Mr. Arrona-Lara is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR),” the statement provided to USA Today said. “Mr. Arrona-Lara was brought to ICE’s attention due to an outstanding warrant issued for his arrest in Mexico on homicide charges.”

But for Venegas and her children, Arrona-Lara is the provider of the family.

Read the full Associated Press story here.

–Shutterstock image

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