On March 10, Ypsilanti resident Miguel Rosas Ruiz was intercepted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti while on his way to work. He was detained and is being held at North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan.
Rosas is a father of four and the owner of Rosas Painting, an Ypsilanti-based painting business he founded in 2003. He immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 2001. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Rosas Ruiz’s daughter Morelia Rosas Martinez said her father’s detainment caused emotional distress to the family.
“It’s been a moment of a lot of sadness, a lot of anger for the things that are happening not only to us and to my dad in there but also to many, many people, as we know,” Rosas Martinez said. “He was there for us all the time, and I think my brother deserves to have his father there for all of his things as well. … I think on the emotional level, it’s impacted us the most.”
Rosas Ruiz was granted a release on bond at his hearing at the Detroit Immigration Court April 15, meaning he can be released once his bond is paid. Rosas Ruiz petitioned the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, challenging the legality of his detention, and on April 9, the court conditionally granted the petition, arguing that Rosas Ruiz’s detention violates his Fifth Amendment rights to due process.
Ahead of the hearing, Rosas Martinez told The Daily her father has a friendly and outgoing approach to running his small business.
“He started off as a very small business with just a couple jobs here and there (each) year, and then, he has since become a very well known small business around Ann Arbor,” Rosas Martinez said. “He is also known, as a person, to be very extroverted and a very talkative, outgoing person. Wherever he is, he’s always chatting with neighbors and everyone around, getting to know them and asking them about their families.”
Before being detained, Rosas Ruiz was an active member of the community, active in the family’s church, St. Mary Student Parish, and frequently attending community events.
“He’s always been known in the schools amongst teachers and being an involved father,” Rosas Martinez said. “He’s always been to our events, whether it’s plays, concerts, sporting events, supporting the school fundraisers, everything.”
President Donald Trump has initiated a massive expansion of immigration enforcement this year, aiming for record-breaking deportation operations. As part of this initiative, ICE has expanded operations in Southeast Michigan, establishing a detention facility in Romulus and expanding administrative offices in Southfield. Rosas Martinez said she believes her father was profiled by ICE while shopping at Lowes.
“We believe he was profiled previously because of his work van, and because he was at Lowe’s … and we know it’s in an area that (ICE) likes to be looking at a lot,” Rosas Martinez said. “I think it was just they saw the color of his skin, they saw his work van and went with that.”
Since Rosas Ruiz’s arrest, community members have set up an Instagram account advocating for his release, written an open letter to his immigration judge and set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his bond and legal expenses. Rosas Martinez said the community has been very supportive.
“(My father) has had his business for a long time, so those are the first people we reached out to in terms of getting support from the community and letters of support,” Rosas Martinez said. “We’ve been very lucky to receive that support from not only his clients, but also organizations and the church — just many great people.”
Ahead of the hearing, Rosas Martinez said she was hopeful but still concerned about deportation because of recent courthouse ICE arrests.
“From my understanding, the hearing tomorrow is only about the bond, and so there should be no risk of deportation,” Rosas Martinez said. “But I have also heard cases where (detainees) were denied bond and, immediately, a deportation order was sent out for them. I think it depends on the judge and what’s presented.”
Rosas Martinez said her father’s detainment has made her more aware of the effects of ICE activity on her community.
“I’ve always been an advocate for abolishing ICE and making sure those people stop terrorizing families, but I think this situation has really opened my eyes more to just how cruel it all is, and just how much people suffer when this happens to them,” Rosas Martinez said. “(But) also just how much the community actually cares. … I hope we see a lot of support from people that are willing to fight for their community to not be destroyed.”
Daily Staff Reporter Brady Middlebrook can be reached at pmbrady@umich.edu.
