Milton Guamarriga, above, and Amy Lituma with son, below
By Dan Murphy
Two recent detentions and apprehensions by ICE in Westchester County are different from the case that made news last week: the five-day detention of Scarsdale HS graduate Yeonsoo Go.
On July 29, Milton Guamarriga, a volunteer firefighter in Port Chester, was detained by ICE and is now in their custody in a Michigan jail. Guamarriga, 43, has lived in Port Chester for more than 20 years. His wife and children are raising funds for his legal defense through
www.gofundme.com https://www.gofundme.com/f/e62bsq-reunite-our-family
Dear friends, family, and kind strangers,
We are reaching out with heavy hearts to ask for your support. My father has recently been detained, and our family is navigating a deeply emotional and challenging time. He is a loving father, a hardworking man, and someone who has always put his family first.
Unfortunately, the legal process ahead is overwhelming and expensive. We are raising funds to cover legal representation, court fees, and any related costs to ensure he receives a fair chance and that we can work toward bringing him home.
Every donation, no matter the amount, helps us move one step closer to reuniting our family. If you are unable to donate, sharing this campaign with others would mean the world to us.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your compassion and support during this difficult time.
With gratitude, the Guamarrigra Family writes on GoFundMe. They have almost reached their goal of $13,000.
Milton Guamarrigra worked as a marble installer in addition to his volunteer firefighter job.
Most of the media coverage has been sympathetic to the Guamarrigra family and Milton’s situation. “Milton Guamarrigra, a 43-year-old father of three and longtime volunteer firefighter in Port Chester, New York, was detained by ICE outside his home last week and transferred to a correctional facility in Michigan.
“Guamarrigra has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, working as a marble installer and volunteering with the local fire department for seven years. He is undocumented and has had an open deportation case since 2004. His family says he’s been actively trying to obtain citizenship for the past two years and was preparing to study IT in college.
“The Port Chester community, including the fire department and mayor’s office, is rallying for his release. Officials have sent letters to federal agencies advocating on his behalf,” wrote CBS NY.
But one local media outlet, Westfaironline.com, reached out to ICE to ask why Guamarrigra was detained. (https://westfaironline.com/combined/detained-port-chester-volunteer-fireman-had-been-ordered-deported-ice-tells-business-journal/)
ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Guamarrigra, is “a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador. His criminal history includes three DWIs (driving while intoxicated).”
McLaughlin said that Guamarrigra entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and place. She did not explain why, in the 19 years since the judge’s order, Guamarrigra had not previously been deported.
McLaughlin said that the government is currently holding him at the Calhoun County Correctional Center in Michigan.
“This serial drunk driver is a public safety threat,” McLaughlin said. “Too many innocent lives have been lost at the hands of illegal aliens driving under the influence. Just this week, DHS highlighted the tragedies of Rickey Maddox, who was killed by an illegal alien driving under the influence in Louisiana, and the death of a mom and her 11-year-old daughter in New Jersey by another illegal alien,” writes Peter Katz.
We also received a response from ICE and DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin: “On July 29, 2025, ICE arrested Milton Geovanny Guamarrigra-Loja, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador. His criminal history includes three DWIs. This serial drunk driver is a public safety threat. Too many innocent lives have been lost at the hands of illegal aliens driving under the influence. Just this week, DHS highlighted the tragedies of Rickey Maddox who was killed by an illegal alien driving under the influence in Louisiana and the death of a mom and her 11-year-old daughter in New Jersey by another illegal alien. Guamarrigra entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and place. In 2006, he was ordered removed by an immigration judge. He is currently being held at Calhoun County Correctional Center in Michigan.”
Another incident with ICE in Peekskill drew significant interest involving 24-year-old Amy Lituma. On July 29, ICE agents followed Lituma and her four-year-old son from her home in Peekskill to BJ’s Wholesale Club in Yorktown. Lituma, an Ecuadorian immigrant, claims the armed men forced her out of the vehicle.
ICE agents showed her a photo of her partner, Wilmer Delgado, who they were seeking to detain. Lituma said she did not know where Delgado was. ICE allowed Lituma to return home and had her call Delgado, who told her, “Don’t say anything.”
When given the option of being separated from her son or self-deporting, Lituma decided to return to Ecuador with her son. A video shows her son scared at ICE outside of their home.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNCTZphPRvx/?igsh=aGpuaGp3N3Zlcnc0-video
A rally was held in Peekskill for Lituma. “Unmarked vehicles, unidentifiable officers, faces covered with masks,” state Sen. Pete Harckham said. “This is terrifying our immigrant communities. And not only is it doing that, it is breaking down the years of trust and bridge-building that our local police have done. Our local police have worked hard to partner with our local immigrant community, and this is destroying our fabric. There is something very sick and broken about America right now.”
Lituma said she crossed the border into the U.S. in July 2021, when her son was eight months old, and has been working as a house cleaner while living in Peekskill. She hadn’t applied for U.S. asylum. She was due to depart for Ecuador on Tuesday, and said she hoped to return to the U.S. with legal status someday.
“I’m not the only one,” Lituma said. “Many people are in the same situation. My request is not to break families apart.”
In a written statement to Peekskill Herald signed “A/S” (Assistant Secretary), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said, “ICE does not separate families. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with the past administration’s immigration enforcement.
“Parents, who are here illegally, can take control of their departure with the CBP [Customs and Border Protection] Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. and live the American dream the right way. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
Assembly member Dana Levenberg said, “What we need is a process to make it legal for people to be here and not throw people in jail, deporting people and making it harder for our communities to exist.”
