A young Peekskill mother has come forward to share her traumatic experience with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after she and her four-year-old son were suddenly detained by armed agents in an unmarked vehicle operation earlier this week.
Confronted by ICE in a Store Parking Lot
On Tuesday, 24-year-old Amy Lituma, an Ecuadorian immigrant, was driving with her son to BJ’s Wholesale Club in Yorktown Heights when she was surrounded by four unmarked vehicles. According to Lituma, six ICE agents confronted her before she could even park.
“They didn’t let me finish parking,” she told The Examiner through a translator. “My son started crying—he was terrified. I didn’t know what was happening.”
The officers, speaking in English, showed her a photo of her partner, Wilmer Delgado, and demanded to know his whereabouts. Lituma, who only speaks Spanish, said she couldn’t help them.
Scared and confused, she tried to shield her son. “I got back into my car, locked the doors, and called a family member,” she said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
When a friend arrived to help, ICE agents reportedly made it clear: Lituma and her child would not be released unless Delgado turned himself in.
A Detention Without Documentation
Due to the heat and concern for the child, officers agreed to let Lituma return home to Peekskill. Once there, she was instructed to call Delgado.
“Don’t worry,” Delgado told her over the phone. “It will be okay.”
But shortly after she hung up, the agents entered her car and seized her belongings. Lituma said she was not allowed to enter her home freely and refused an officer’s demand to accompany her inside.
“They placed me under arrest right outside my house,” she said.
Community advocates say the arrest raised serious legal and ethical concerns.
Dinora Pacheco, president of the Hispanic Community Corp, pointed out that agents never provided official documentation to justify the arrest.
“She asked if they had a warrant,” Pacheco said. “They told her to wait 15 minutes. Later, they said they didn’t have to show it.”
According to Karin Anderson Ponzer, director of Neighbors Link Community Law Practice, most ICE agents operate under administrative warrants, not court orders signed by judges. These documents do not authorize home searches or arrests without consent.
A Viral Video and Public Outcry
The tense confrontation was captured by a neighbor and later posted to the Westchester Pol(ICE) Watch Instagram account. The footage showed Lituma embracing her crying son before they were taken away in an unmarked SUV.
“Mom, why are they here?” the child asked through sobs. “Am I going to be in jail by myself?”
The video quickly gained traction online, sparking outrage and concern throughout Westchester County. Community members expressed shock that such a dramatic ICE operation unfolded in their backyard.
“I’ve cried every day since it happened,” said Peekskill Councilman Ramon Fernandez. “You hear about these stories on the national news, but now it’s happening here.”
Released—But Not Free
Lituma was eventually released after being transported to a facility nearly an hour away. However, she was fitted with an ankle monitor and has been ordered to appear in immigration court later this month.
“I didn’t do anything,” Lituma said tearfully. “I clean houses. I just want to protect my son.”
An immigration attorney from Neighbors Link has since taken on her case.
Lituma’s story is one of many surfacing in recent months amid increasing ICE activity under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement directives. Community leaders warn that these aggressive tactics are leaving lasting damage—especially on children.
Local Response and Support Efforts
On Wednesday, city officials and advocates held a meeting to address the growing fear and anxiety among immigrant families in the area. Attendees included Councilman Fernandez, Pacheco, and Peekskill Schools Superintendent David Mauricio.
During the meeting, Fernandez recounted a heartbreaking moment from earlier that day.
“I saw her son playing, looking okay,” he said. “But when he saw police lights in the distance, he started screaming: ‘The police are coming! The police are coming!’ That kind of trauma—how do you undo that?”
The community continues to call for transparency, compassion, and legal safeguards, especially for families with young children caught in the crosshairs of immigration enforcement.
ICE and the Peekskill Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.
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