The case represents a new front in President Trump's mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.

Rodolfo Rodriguez was detained by ICE agents at Miami International Airport after returning from a family trip. His wife was taken away in front of their children, leaving behind only her passport and a deportation notice.

The policy targets individuals with pending deportation orders who have no criminal records, marking a shift from previous enforcement strategies that prioritized dangerous criminals. Critics argue the arrests traumatize families and target undocumented immigrants without posing public safety risks.

Immigration attorneys report a sharp increase in such detentions since 2025, with hundreds arrested at airports nationwide. The Department of Homeland Security defended the operations as necessary to enforce existing deportation orders.

Rodriguez's case highlights the human cost of the administration's aggressive immigration tactics, affecting families who believed they were safe due to lack of criminal history.