Mum Katie Paul was undergoing the last stages of an interview to stay in the US to be with her husband, Stephen, when ICE agents arrested her as she held her baby son
A British woman detained by American immigration agents as she held her newborn baby has described the nightmares of having her son “ripped” from her as tormenting her every night.
Katie Paul, 34, had headed out to the US in 2024 to be with her husband, Stephen, originally from San Diego, in California., with the couple tying the knot the following month. She had been planning to return to the UK as she got her green card processed, but she was told her pregnancy was high-risk, so she decided to remain in the US, as a lawyer advised her overstaying would not be an issue as she was undergoing a green card process.
But in November 2025, Katie and Stephen were at the San Diego US Citizenship and Immigration Services office, where Katie was undergoing her green card interview. The Brit was in the last stages of getting her green card approved when ICE agents came in and arrested Katie while she had six-month-old, Alan, in her arms.
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After Katie was arrested, she spent five days in Otay Mesa ICE Detention Centre, before her green card was approved and she was released. Katie, a stay-at-home mom, originally from Beccles, Suffolk, said: “There were ICE agents near my house a couple of weeks ago, I got into such a panic because I was so distressed they were going to arrest me.
“I have nightmares every single night. Each night, I will see those agents rip him from my arms while they cuff me. It is a constant reminder.”
