Garden Grove father worries he'll miss 3rd daughter's birth while in ICE custody

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (KABC) -- A father of two worries he'll miss the birth of his third child as he awaits deportation to Bangladesh after being detained unexpectedly during a routine annual immigration check-in in Santa Ana just over a month ago.

Sahriar Rahman, who goes by "Moe," has been married to Ashanti Minor for a decade. They're in the process of adjusting Rahman's immigration status.

"I'm very angry," Minor said in tears, referring to the nation's immigration process. "Because we did everything right, and for what? It makes you lose hope."

Her husband is now in detention in Adelanto, awaiting deportation to Bangladesh.

Eyewitness News was there when Rahman called his wife.

"I came here when I was four. I don't have a home there. I don't have family there. I can't speak the language or read or write," Rahman said over the phone.

On May 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers placed Rahman in handcuffs unexpectedly during his routine check-in at their Santa Ana office at Civic Center Plaza. His daughters were left wondering where he was.

"I don't want them to be angry at him because he hasn't done anything wrong. We've told them that he's working, but my oldest daughter, she knows," Minor said.

Rahman told Eyewitness News over the phone that it was nearly impossible to manage his diet and check his blood sugar level while in federal custody. He has Type 2 Diabetes.

"They treat you more like a criminal here, more than someone that's looking to adjust their immigration status," Rahman said.

Rahman's family arrived to the U.S. in 1991, escaping political turmoil in Bangladesh.

After their visa expired, the family got an order of removal. Rahman was 11 years old. The family has appealed that removal year after year and has attended required annual ICE check-ins. His family has been allowed to stay and work legally and build a life, until now.

Michael Jurado is Rahman's immigration attorney and the department chair of the Remove the Fence department at Wilner and O'Reilly Immigration Attorneys, APLC.

"Now, this new administration is enforcing removal orders," Jurado said.

Rahman, who is married to a U.S. citizen and has a career as a home loan officer, has been unable to move forward with his green card application. First, a ruling must come from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) on his order of removal.

"We need the judge to make that ruling and, unfortunately, right now, ICE, the courts, DHS, every party involved, is quite frankly swamped and backlogged," Jurado said.

Time is not on the father's side. His wife and daughters need him, and he has a third child on the way. At the time of our interview on Tuesday, Minor was five months pregnant.

"I've been in their lives since they were born... I kiss them good night every single night, you know, and I'm not able to do that right now... I may or may not be able to even be there for the birth of my third child," Rahman said.

Minor told Eyewitness News she was out of paid sick days and is having to take unpaid time off for the rest of her prenatal care and days when her daughters are not in school. Anyone wanting to help the family financially can visit their GoFundMe page.