On June 3, 2025, what began as a typical workday for Hector Smith and his son David shifted abruptly into a harrowing ordeal. The two left for work early that morning and returned home in the late afternoon. Hector — an undocumented immigrant who asked to remain anonymous when speaking to student journalists from the Mississippi Youth Media Project in Jackson — was pulling out of Home Depot along Interstate 20 when he noticed a blackout-window K-9 police SUV in his rearview mirror.
“At first I didn’t notice them,” David later recalled during an in-person interview. “But then my dad said, ‘Look, there’s an SUV behind us.’”
Even after driving for another mile, the vehicle remained close behind them.
The Traffic Stop and Detainment
The police SUV maintained its position and eventually activated its lights. Hector pulled over without protest, and the officer exited, tapping the tailgate before approaching the driver’s side window. In that moment, David’s thoughts raced — and he wished he had been behind the wheel.
The officer claimed Hector had been driving recklessly, though David, seated in the passenger seat, saw no evidence of dangerous driving — especially since both father and son had been acutely aware of the trailing vehicle.
When asked for identification, Hector complied. David remained still, his nerves heightened by the risk Hector faced due to his undocumented status. The officer assured them that it would amount to only a warning but then ordered Hector out of the car for a search. After frisking him, the officer made calls from his vehicle and instructed the family to sit on the curb.
In just minutes, eight additional law-enforcement vehicles converged on the scene along I-20. Officers from Brandon Police Department, Pearl Police Department, and eventually ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) arrived. The lead officer from Brandon simultaneously began reading Hector his Miranda rights and cuffed him. At that point, Hector was charged with reckless driving.
The day’s arrests would sweep up 27 men and women in total — some have since been deported, while others remain confined together in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, stuck in an uncertain limbo.
A Son’s Witness to Separation
Seventeen-year-old David watched as ICE agents forcibly separated him from his father. “It all felt like a lot to bear,” he shared with the student journalists. “He’s my role model, my biggest supporter. I rely on him a lot.”
Along with detaining Hector, officers confiscated everything he carried — including $200 in cash — though they overlooked his phone, which remained on his person during the detainment.
David witnessed Hector being led into the darkened SUV, which then sped away. Under the sweltering sun, David ran after it until it vanished from sight. Through a location-tracking app (Life360), he tracked his father’s route and soon made it to Madison, walking from there to the sheriff’s office.
At the station, David sought help from a pastor known to aid immigrants. But constrained by federal policies, the pastor apologized — he said he was powerless under the current presidential administration’s restrictions.
Dejected, David called his mother from the police station and explained the situation. She hurried to the location, wary of encountering further law enforcement.
Nighttime Calls and Frantic Search
That evening, the family made countless calls to local jails — and to Hector’s own phone — but received no response. It felt as if he had vanished. As the night dragged on, David’s mother urged them to get rest and resume trying in the morning.
Around midnight, the phone rang. Hector’s voice came through. He had secretly used his phone to call from Madison County Detention Center, where ICE was holding him.
“I’m OK, don’t worry. Everything will be OK soon,” he told them before hanging up.
David and his brother bolted from their rooms to wake their mother.
“We just talked to Dad!” David exclaimed. “He’s in Madison County!”
Their mother experienced mixed relief: though happy to hear Hector was alive and capable of contact, the moment was also tinged with sorrow — this was only the beginning of his battle against a system that had long targeted undocumented immigrants — a system intensified under President Donald Trump’s expansive enforcement policies.
Conclusion
What began as an ordinary day for Hector and David turned into a forced separation orchestrated by the U.S. immigration system. Through a sudden traffic stop on Interstate 20, the family found their lives upended by law enforcement and ICE. For David, the traumatic scene of his father’s arrest became a defining moment — both in his youth and in his understanding of power, fear, and resilience. As Hector fights to regain his freedom, his family copes with uncertainty and the emotional toll of enforced absence.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why was Hector pulled over in the first place?
The officer claimed Hector was driving recklessly, though both Hector and David maintain that his driving was normal and the stop appeared suspicious from the start.
2. What happened immediately after Hector’s arrest?
Within minutes, multiple local police departments and ICE agents arrived. Hector was read his Miranda rights, handcuffed, and charged with reckless driving. He and 26 others were swept into detention.
3. Was the family able to stay in contact with Hector while he was held?
Yes — although the officers confiscated nearly all his belongings, Hector kept his phone and used it to secretly call his family from the detention center, leading to a midnight conversation with his son.
