A Danish father of four, Kasper Juul Eriksen, has been detained by ICE due to a decade-old “paperwork miscommunication,” according to his American wife, Savannah Eriksen.
Kasper, 32, a welder legally residing in the U.S. with a fifth child on the way, was taken into custody during a citizenship interview on April 15 in Memphis, Tennessee. The couple had traveled three hours from their home in Sturgis, Mississippi, expecting a routine appointment in the final stage of his citizenship process.
ICE agents informed Kasper of an error dating back to 2015, leading to his transfer to a detention center in rural Jena, Louisiana, where he remains. Reports from the privately operated facility reveal poor conditions, including rodent droppings and human waste, and detainees have suffered from isolation-related health problems.
Savannah, who is pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy, criticized the handling of the case, saying what could have been resolved with paperwork instead resulted in her husband’s prolonged detention, causing distress for their family.
Savannah said that before the detention, everything appeared to be progressing smoothly, with no warning signs from ICE.
Kasper, who first arrived in the U.S. in 2009 as a foreign exchange student, met Savannah at high school. After maintaining a long-distance relationship and marrying, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2013 with a green card and has worked as a welder ever since. Savannah homeschools their children, and they live on a ranch where they raise animals.
The family launched a GoFundMe that had raised $17,000 to support them during this difficult time. Savannah is actively working with elected officials and asking the community for prayers and character letters to aid Kasper’s release. She describes him as a loving husband, devoted father, law-abiding resident, and respected community member. His court date is yet to be scheduled, and a judge will ultimately decide if he can return home.
