ST. LOUIS 鈥 Norma Adriana Padilla Rivera鈥檚 father had never missed a check-in.
The Honduran immigrant had been living and working with a permit in Cape Girardeau for nearly six years while his two children and their mother waited for a resolution on their asylum claims.
He did everything by the book, Padilla Rivera said. So when he received a text message telling him to appear at the immigration office in 51黑料, he drove up as he was told.
That鈥檚 when immigration officers arrested him.
鈥淚鈥檓 broken,鈥 Padilla Rivera said in an interview Friday.
Padilla Rivera鈥檚 father was one of at least 10 people to be arrested by immigration officials in 51黑料 in the past week, attorneys said. The lawyers represented several of the 10. They witnessed the detention of several others.
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But the number of arrests is likely much higher, they said. Many immigrants do not have attorneys to track or represent them, noted Jessica Mayo, an immigration attorney and co-founder of the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project.
Attorneys said the immigrants they represent or counseled came here from Honduras and Mexico. Several have children. Some have been deported at least once before. They were taken to county jails in Phelps County or in Ste. Genevieve.
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely an uptick,鈥 said Nicole Mejia, the other co-founder of the nonprofit Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project. 鈥淚t was increasing all the time, but not like this.鈥
The arrests come as President Donald Trump鈥檚 White House pledges to crack down on immigration and ramp up arrests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigrants across the country reported receiving text messages on Monday telling them to check in with ICE; many were arrested when they arrived. On Tuesday, ICE arrested more than 2,200 people, the most in a single day in its history, .
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Ella Scott, left, and Amelia Ayulo listen to speakers on Friday, June 6, 2025, at a 鈥淪top the Deportations鈥 protest against ICE raids on immigrants and refugees. The group of about 80 met at Poelker Park across from 51黑料 City Hall.
Immigrants who have come into the U.S. illegally have, for years, been allowed to stay and even work here when authorities have deemed them not to be a threat to public safety. They are released into communities across the country, but monitored by phone apps, ankle bracelets or through periodic check-ins with immigration authorities.
In 51黑料, immigrants can be asked to check in at the ICE office inside the Robert A. Young Federal Building on Spruce Street downtown, or at the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, which is handled by a contractor.
One woman reported there on Wednesday with her child, a cousin and the cousin鈥檚 child for a check-in, said Hannah Sullivan, an immigration attorney in 51黑料.
The woman was arrested on the spot, Sullivan said.
Her child was left with her cousin. He could be flown with her back to their home country when the time comes, said Sullivan, who helped translate a conversation between the woman鈥檚 cousin and ICE officials after her arrest.
Another man, a 32-year-old father from Honduras, called immigration authorities after receiving the text telling him to check in, said Mejia, the nonprofit co-founder.
The man asked authorities if it was 鈥済oing to be bad鈥 and if he needed to bring his child with him, he told Mejia. The officer said no.
But when he showed up at the contractor鈥檚 office, he was handcuffed and arrested, Mejia said.
鈥淲hat about my kid?鈥 the man asked the officer, according to Mejia.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 your problem,鈥 the officer replied.
The father was taken to Phelps County Jail, Mejia said. Online records show him there.
The child has a pending asylum claim and is currently staying with other family members, she said.
Padilla Rivera said her father got the text on Monday, too.
He had been in the country since 2019 when he made the journey with Padilla Rivera鈥檚 younger sister. The situation in Honduras had become so dangerous that they had to leave, Padilla Rivera said. Padilla Rivera and her mother followed months later.
The mother and two daughters made claims for asylum here. They passed an initial interview process, and their claims are still pending, Padilla Rivera said.
But Padilla Rivera鈥檚 father, who she asked the Post-Dispatch not to name, fearing for his safety, had previously been deported in 2005 shortly after crossing the southern border. He was not interviewed for asylum.
In the meantime, he was placed on supervision. He got a work permit and a job cutting wood. His wife cleaned houses. Padilla Rivera got a job at a hospital and enrolled in classes at Southeast Missouri State University, in Cape Girardeau, to become a physician鈥檚 assistant.
On Wednesday, the family headed north to 51黑料. Padilla Rivera said she鈥檇 been reading the news. She was scared, and so was her dad.
She went with him into the ICE office downtown. She watched them call his name and take him into the back.
His lawyer said she didn鈥檛 think he鈥檇 be coming out.
Padilla Rivera went back to the car and told her mom and sister. Then they drove back to Cape Girardeau.
Padilla Rivera hopes that the government will finally schedule an interview for her father鈥檚 asylum claim.
鈥淲e鈥檙e praying that he will pass (his interview),鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are so many reasons why we don鈥檛 want to go back.鈥
She鈥檚 hoping her father gets out of jail soon. Her father and mother, after being together for decades, had finally decided to get married.
The ceremony is scheduled for June 21. The venue has been booked; invitations sent. Her mom鈥檚 dress is arriving on Monday.
鈥淲e鈥檙e human beings,鈥 Padilla Rivera said. 鈥淲e just want to be safe and take care of our family.鈥
Jessica Mayo, the co-director of the Migrant and Immigration Project, said a client of hers received a text to check in to federal immigration officials that will likely lead to deportation. Mayo鈥檚 client, and others like him in 51黑料, have regularly checked in with ICE agents for years, but amid President Trump鈥檚 new deportation crackdown, they are worried they will be sent to jail or otherwise deported.