A Danish green card holder and father of four was denied bail after being detained by ICE during what was supposed to be his final citizenship interview in Tennessee.
Kasper Eriksen, 32, came to the U.S. in 2009 as a student and later married his high school sweetheart, Savannah, with whom he settled in rural Mississippi, according to the Daily Beast.
After receiving his green card in 2013, he began the naturalization process, but unknowingly missed a key immigration filing deadline in 2015—around the same time the couple suffered the stillbirth of their first child.
On April 15, 2025, Eriksen was detained in Memphis, Tennessee, without warning by ICE agents during his scheduled naturalization interview. He was later transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena.
"Kasper was detained for a paperwork miscommunication from 2015, and I was sent home with no explanation and no idea where my husband had been transported," Kasper's wife said. "I was 22 weeks pregnant at the time, and as I drove the 3-hour journey back to Sturgis, Mississippi, to say I couldn't control my emotions would be an understatement."
ICE claims his failure to submit Form I-751 to remove conditions on his green card a decade ago voided his path to citizenship. At a court hearing on May 28, an immigration judge agreed to reopen Eriksen's case but denied him bond, meaning he must remain in detention.
Meanwhile, his wife, currently pregnant with their fifth child, has been raising awareness and funds through a GoFundMe campaign. Kasper has been a vocal Trump supporter on social media, often pushing debunked election fraud theories and calling to impeach Joe Biden.
No timeline has been set for Eriksen's next court appearance, leaving his future uncertain.
Originally published on Latin Times
