VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - A Valdosta woman says her husband was detained by immigration officers while working, leaving her to explain his absence to their young children.

Stephanie Martinez, a resident of the Hispanic community in Valdosta, said she learned her husband had been taken into custody after receiving a call from his boss.

FULL INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANIE MARTINEZ:

“I tried to call his phone three times. Straight to voicemail,” Martinez said. “And then I called his boss. And he was like, so you already know.”

Martinez said her husband worked cutting yards in the community. She said he called her once from a detention center but could not tell her his location.

“Being that he knows as little as I do, he couldn’t tell me where,” Martinez said.

Husband describes encounter

Martinez said her husband told her he was working at a local Home Depot when officers arrived, and he ran.

“He said that they were working at our local Home Depot,” Martinez said. “And he thinks that someone knew they were going to be there. That someone knew their schedule.”

Martinez said her husband told her he ran toward the area near the mall before officers caught him.

“He said three got on top of him,” Martinez said. “And he was like, my wrists are all cut up from the, like, the handcuffs. And he said his back is bruised.”

Martinez said she was able to speak with her husband for five minutes.

Children asking questions

Martinez said she checked her children out of school after learning what happened to their father.

“My daughter, she keeps asking for daddy,” Martinez said. “When’s [daddy] going to come home? And I don’t know what to tell her.”

Martinez said she does not feel comfortable sharing her husband’s name at this time.

Advocate organizing protest

Mary Huerta, who describes herself as an advocate for the Hispanic community in Valdosta, said she is organizing a protest for Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m.

“The reason why I want to do this protest is because I want all of our voices that, so we could all be heard,” Huerta said. “And to let my people know they are not fighting alone.”

Huerta said her daughter came home saying a classmate could not attend school because ICE had taken the classmate’s family.

“That hurt me emotionally, and it hurt my child,” Huerta said. “No child should be coming to school scared and sad, knowing that their parent is no longer home due to them being taken away.”

Huerta said she carries her ID, Social Security card, and birth certificate with her.

“It’s getting to the point where, you know, you just show them your ID and your social,” Huerta said. “And they still want to ask you, are you a citizen?”

Separate ICE incident: Business owner describes pursuit damage

Joshua Ray, owner of R-Tuned Performance, said his building was damaged during a vehicle pursuit connected to an immigration enforcement stop.

Ray said he did not witness the incident begin but heard sirens and later found damaged vehicles, including undercover vehicles, near his business.

FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOSHUA RAY:

“What I was told is that it was an illegal immigrant that was being detained or trying to be detained by immigration police,” Ray said. “He was basically ran through, either stopped, not stopped, however they encountered.”

Ray said the vehicle struck a traffic signal control box and then reversed into his building while avoiding an officer.

“Our neighbors across the way, they were all out and were being yelled at by law enforcement, get down, because they were in the line of fire at that point,” Ray said. “But again, our officers’ awareness was great. They didn’t take any shots.”

Ray said he was told the pursuit was terminated in a nearby neighborhood because children were on their way to school.

Ray said security cameras at his business captured part of the chase, though a camera near the damaged corner of the building had been shut off.

Ray, a retired member of the Navy, said he supports immigration enforcement being carried out through legal channels.

“We are a nation of immigrants, and I proudly support those people,” Ray said. “But I honestly do believe we need to do it properly. I understand the vast majority of these folks are just trying to earn a living and take care of their family. And I feel for that. But we are a nation of laws, and I think that they need to follow the right channels.”

Ray said the damage to his building has raised concerns about his insurance coverage and ability to protect customers’ property.

“It just goes to show that you could be doing absolutely nothing wrong, and something so chaotic can happen,” Ray said.

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