A Chino family is demanding answers after a Nicaraguan mother of three children, who was awaiting an outcome in her asylum case, was detained by federal immigration agents in January.
The family says that the last few weeks have been a nightmare, after Jacqueline Rivas Blandon was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents
"She complied with everything the ICE agent said to say, we did everything that they asked and it seems like they just want to give us the worst option possible," said Rivas Blandon's son-in-law, Richard Ker. "She came here legally, and then when Trump is like, 'Too bad that that's not legal anymore,' She applied for asylum."
screenshot-2026-02-08-192359.png
Jacqueline Rivas Blandon, a Nicaraguan mother of three who was detained by ICE agents in Chino in January. Richard Ker
He said that she was driving one day when she was pulled over by ICE agents in Chino. It was then that she was detained and taken to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County.
"The first week she was there, it was freezing cold," Ker said. "They wouldn't give her, like, extra warm clothes. She had to order them and wait for a week. So, for a whole week, she was super cold."
He says that she eventually went before a judge, at which point she decided to voluntarily deport.
"We didn't hear anything, and then all of a sudden ... we heard that she got sent to Arizona," Ker said.
He's now in Texas, close to where Rivas Blandon was transported and is currently being held, still hoping for a chance to see her. He said that he's tried to go to the detention center to give Rivas Blandon her passport, but was told he'd have to submit a request via email before getting approved.
The family says it's important that she has her passport before she gets deported, but they're unsure if they'll be able to do so because they haven't been able to get answers from anyone.
screenshot-2026-02-08-192440.png
Jacquelin Rivas Blandon on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Richard Ker
Ker said that two of Rivas Blandon's young children are suffering the most and are desperate for their mother to come home.
"Go after somebody who actually has a deportation order, right?" Ker said. "Do what you're supposed to do and what you said, you're gonna go after the criminals and the drug dealers. Why are you going after this mom of three who is, you know, probably one of the most upstanding citizens I've ever met."
He said that if she does get deported, they want to make sure that the youngest children can stay with her. They're currently with their dad, but are hoping above all to keep the family from being separated.
CBS LA has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Rivas Blandon's case and status, but has not yet heard back.
In:
Immigration
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement