Connor Read, 29, a British-born man who has lived in the US since he was nine years old, has been held in an ICE detention facility for more than a month and a half under threat of deportation, according to reports.
Read was taken by ICE agents after he was invited to a green card interview in Tampa, Florida on 3 June, and separated from his wife, Jaelin, 25, and his twin sons Ryder and Ozzie, three.
Background and legal status
Originally from Chatham in Kent, Read was brought to the US in 2007 as a child by his mother and stepfather. He attended American schools and returned to the UK only once. According to the Times newspaper, he was subject to a removal order in 2011 but at age 16 was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) status, a policy providing deportation relief and work permits to eligible individuals brought to the US as children.
While afforded Daca protection, Read reportedly committed minor offences that led to him being deemed a “criminal illegal alien” by the Trump administration, including convictions for possession of narcotic equipment, possession of liquor and resisting an officer.
Arrest and detention
The Times reports that because of the narcotic charge, at age 22, Read was unable to renew his Daca status. He met Jaelin on a dating app in 2020, when his immigration status was unsettled. After marrying, the couple attempted to apply for a green card.
On 3 June, Read was invited to attend a green card meeting at the federal immigration building in Tampa. In the interview room, four ICE agents arrested him and removed him from the building. Immigration officials told Jaelin Read that her husband would not be coming home.
He was taken to Pinellas county jail in Florida, where he spent eight days in a shared cell and was later flown to an ICE detention centre in Louisiana. He is appealing against his final removal order but has been warned a decision may not come for up to six months.
ICE statement
An ICE spokesperson told the Times: “Connor Michael Read, a criminal illegal alien of the United Kingdom, was arrested on 3 June 2026 by the ICE law enforcement in Tampa, Florida.
“His criminal history includes convictions for possession of narcotic equipment, possession of liquor and resisting an officer. He was issued a final order of removal issued by an Orlando, Florida immigration judge from January 2011.
“Read entered the United States on 21 November 2007, through the Orlando international airport as a non-immigrant with an F-2 visa, as a dependent of an F-1 non-immigrant student. Read’s status was contingent upon his parent’s status as a student. After a violation of the terms of their visa, Read was placed into removal proceedings.
“Under President Trump and [homeland security] secretary Mullin, ICE is targeting the worst of the worst. Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the US.”
