After ICE Raid in Kenner, 18-Year-Old Becomes Sole Caregiver for His 9-Year-Old Sister

New Orleans — What began as an ordinary Monday morning for 18-year-old Jonathan Escalante turned into a crisis when his 38-year-old mother, Vilma Cruz, called to say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had pulled up behind her car in Kenner, Louisiana.

"She told the man in Spanish that 'I didn't do anything to you, sir,' and then she hung up the call," Escalante recalled in an interview with CBS News. "And then I wasn't able to call her ever since."

Another relative said she was on the phone with Cruz when she heard agents shouting to open the door. Moments later she heard a window break and the call went dead.

Cruz, who emigrated from Honduras and has lived in the United States for roughly two decades, had reportedly avoided work for nearly three weeks amid heightened immigration enforcement in the area. The family had even debated whether she should accept a painting job the night before her arrest.

The arrest was part of an operation called "Catahoula Crunch," a Department of Homeland Security initiative officials say targets "criminal illegal aliens" in the New Orleans region. Escalante said he does not know his mother's exact immigration status and is not aware of any criminal history that would explain why she was singled out.

ICE did not respond to repeated requests from CBS News for comment or for information about Cruz's apprehension. The family believes Cruz is being held at a detention facility in Mississippi.

In the aftermath, Escalante said he has become the primary caregiver for his 9-year-old sister — a responsibility he never expected. Though both children are U.S. citizens, Escalante said he still fears being stopped by immigration agents and sometimes carries his passport "just in case."

"Because I am afraid of ICE agents just stopping me because they feel like it,"

Concerns about mistaken detentions are not isolated. A ProPublica investigation found that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents so far this year, raising alarms among immigrant-rights groups and civil liberties advocates.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) said it is exploring legal action to halt the detention operations in Louisiana and has set up a GoFundMe page to help Cruz's family cover expenses while they seek answers.

As the family waits for updates, Escalante described how his mother sounded during their final moments on the phone: worried but steady, as if she were forcing calm so her son would not panic. "We've had bumps here and there, but she would never show me the side of her where she has to worry about bills and all that other stuff," he said.