Another story about a 'dreamer' detained by ICE is poised to blow up in the media, but is light on details

The narrative is pretty clear by now: Donald Trump was elected (by whatever nefarious means you prefer to cite) and immediately flipped off the switch that was inhibiting U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents from grabbing undocumented Americans from the shadows and deporting them ASAP.

The truth is that deportations had never stopped under President Obama — if they had, activists wouldn’t have taken over Harry Reid’s office and demanded that he and President Obama take immediate action on immigration reform. Of course Obama had wanted to take action on immigration right away, but as he explained to Telemundo in 2013, “I’m not a king.”

Nevertheless, the media was all ears when a 23-year-old DACA recipient was detained by ICE last month; several top Democrats demanded that Daniel Ramirez Medina be released immediately. At nearly the same time, Chelsea Clinton called it “unconscionably terrible” that ICE agents had arrested an undocumented transgender woman at a courtroom where she had sought a protective order; she’d been previously deported six times and arrested at least three for stolen mail, false imprisonment, and assault.

The rumblings of the next controversial ICE detainment are being heard on social media now; will they make it to the major news outlets? USA Today has the story already.

Daniela Vargas came out of hiding to speak up about dad & brothers detention. Now she's detained. She was currently renewing expired DACA https://t.co/ivbQmeKKHl

— Nick Valencia (@CNNValencia) March 2, 2017

Press conference happening in downtown Jackson on immigration, ICE raids and the Trump administration pic.twitter.com/xaSK9wPS0N

— Sarah Fowler (@FowlerSarah) March 1, 2017

Immigrant detained after press conference https://t.co/1ooxDj2YBf

— Sarah Fowler (@FowlerSarah) March 1, 2017

This could be bad news for ICE, or perhaps not. Was Daniela Vargas detained after speaking at the press conference? It looks that way. Was she being punished for speaking out? That’s a stretch, although some are making it. Did ICE agents detain her there because they knew that’s where she was? That seems likely, and legal — but it’s not flying well with the media.

Dreamer targeted by ICE after speaking at immigration rally https://t.co/2VLl5bTYog

— Kerry Eleveld (@kerryeleveld) March 1, 2017

Kerry Eleveld writes at ThinkProgress, “There’s just no other way to read this story other than to conclude that 22-year-old Daniela Vargas was targeted by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents Wednesday after she spoke at an immigration rally in Jackson, Mississippi.”

The Huffington Post seems to have reached the same, seemingly inevitable conclusion:

ICE initially let this Dreamer go. After she talked to the press, they arrested her. https://t.co/Qfe4Um3xgo pic.twitter.com/VeGybl8FOL

— Nick Baumann (@NickBaumann) March 1, 2017

The thing is, ICE did initially let Vargas go after arresting her father and brother in mid-February (for what reason we’re not told). Vargas hid in a closet, but ICE agents later returned to the house and found a handgun, and possession of a firearm by an undocumented person is a felony. She was handcuffed while the house was searched but let go.

The Huffington Post reports that “Vargas was not initially taken into custody on Feb. 15 because she claimed she had DACA status ― but ICE subsequently verified that she did not.” Her DACA status, which must be renewed every two years, had expired.

So while there will certainly be more calls from legislators to release Vargas, it doesn’t hurt to pause and ask if ICE are in the wrong by detaining an adult whose DACA status has lapsed, and doing so when her whereabouts were well-known?

For its part, ICE released a statement reading, in part:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took Daniela Vargas, 22, an unlawfully present Argentinian citizen, into custody March 1, during a targeted immigration enforcement action in Jackson, Mississippi.

In any case, don’t expect progressives to let go of this story anytime soon.

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Related:

Top Democrats demand immediate release of DACA recipient arrested by ICE agents https://t.co/kNAGMyYJzC

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 16, 2017