Delco nurse pushes to have tracking device removed after being detained by ICE

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Delaware County nurse who was detained by ICE on a family trip to Disneyland is pushing to have the government remove a tracking device she said has turned her life upside down since her release.

Monica Ryadi, 30, said her and her family are doing what they can do to return to a sense of normalcy after she was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 15.

“I’ve been kind of isolating myself aside from going to work,” she said outside Philadelphia’s ICE office on Oct. 15.

Instead of a family vacation at Disneyland, Ryadi said she was held at a California immigration detention center for 15 days. She said no paperwork — a deportation order or arrest warrant — were shown to her while she was in detention.

“My husband tried to advocate for me and he was threatened to be arrested and if he did interfere, then my son would get sent to CPS,” said Ryadi. “Basically, they used a lot of fear and threats before I was handcuffed right in front of my son.”

Ryadi was born in Indonesia, but has lived in the US for 26 years and said she was granted an order of withholding of removal, which should protect her from deportation.

“I built a life here. I have a career. We have a house. I have no criminal history,” she said.

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, who joined Ryadi on her visit to the Philadelphia ICE office on Thursday, said her constituent has been following the rules.

“The government is taking actions based on lies about people being a threat to our community,” she said.

Ryadi’s legal team request to have tracking devices removed was denied, but the decision was made to exchange the ankle monitor for a wristwatch tracker at a later time.

DHS has stated that it plans on removing Ryadi from the United States.

Her lawyer told KYW Newsradio that he will prevent Ryadi’s deportation.