The Danish dad who ICE arrested at a naturalization interview last month was denied bail on Tuesday in his first court appearance since being detained.
Kasper Eriksen’s wife, Savannah, said in a statement that her spouse’s immigration case was reopened during the Tuesday hearing, “but bond was not issued along with it at this time.”
Savannah said she was grateful that an immigration judge did not order Eriksen deported right then and there.
“This hearing also could have issued his immediate deportation, so we are thankful for the opportunity for his case to be heard, reopened, and all the evidence to be presented to the judge,” she said.
Eriksen, 32, was arrested at a naturalization interview in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 15. Savannah later learned he was detained because he did not submit Form I-751, known as the “Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence,” by a deadline in 2015.
Savannah said there were no red flags after missing the deadline and that his citizenship path remained intact, as far as they knew, up until his arrest.
The Eriksens live together in the rural Mississippi town of Sturgis, which has a population of just over 200. They share four children, with a fifth due to be born sometime in August.
Eriksen first came to the U.S. in 2009 as a foreign exchange student, where he met Savannah. The then-teenagers started dating and continued their relationship even after Eriksen returned to his home country. He eventually returned to the U.S. and received a green card by the time they got married in 2013.
Eriksen is being held at an ICE facility infamous for reports of a cockroach-filled kitchen and abuse by its guards. Located in the rural town of Jena, Louisiana, the facility is where Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, who has been detained since March for organizing demonstrations regarding the Israeli-Hamas war, is also being held.
The Daily Beast could not find any criminal record for Eriksen, including speeding tickets, which have been used as justification to arrest and deport some migrants and visa holders since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Eriksen’s case has garnered national attention in part because his public social media accounts show he frequently reshared posts from Trump and other right-wing figures, including some that criticized the Biden administration. He also made posts that suggested he opposed vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is unclear when Eriksen’s next appearance before a judge will be. Savannah has raised $55,000 through a GoFundMe fundraiser where she occasionally provides updates.
The post Danish Dad-of-Four Arrested by ICE Is Denied Bail, Wife Says appeared first on The Daily Beast.
