ICE detains Wisconsin trooper at Madison airport over alleged visa overstay
Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, 21, was held in Dodge County as his attorney cited a pending asylum case and work authorization.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
ICE arrests Wisconsin trooper: Federal immigration agents detained Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, 21, at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison on Nov. 5 while he was preparing to board a domestic flight, according to the Department of Homeland Security and multiple Wisconsin news reports.
Van Der Merwe is a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper who lives in Onalaska and works from the Tomah post, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said he has worked for the State Patrol since July 13, 2025, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
DHS described the arrest as a targeted enforcement operation. A spokesperson said Van Der Merwe entered the United States in March 2019 with permission to remain through September that year, then overstayed his admission. DHS said a work permit or pending immigration application does not itself establish legal status, and that he would remain in ICE custody during removal proceedings.
Why did ICE detain the Wisconsin state trooper?
The government’s stated basis is its allegation that Van Der Merwe overstayed permission to remain in the country after arriving in 2019. His immigration attorney, Marc Christopher, disputes DHS’s description of his status and says the trooper is included in his father’s still-pending asylum application.
Christopher told the Journal Sentinel and other outlets that Van Der Merwe has federal employment authorization through 2030. He said the trooper arrived from South Africa with his family as a teenager and has waited years for the family’s asylum case to be decided.
Christopher said Van Der Merwe showed agents his work authorization and told them about the asylum application at the airport. The attorney alleged the agents said they did not care before handcuffing him, shackling his legs and taking him away. DHS did not address that account in the statements reported by NBC News, WPR and other outlets.
As of Nov. 6, ICE’s detainee locator and news reports placed Van Der Merwe at the Dodge Detention Facility, also referred to as Dodge County Jail, in Wisconsin. Christopher said he had met with his client and intended to seek an immigration bond hearing. He estimated that process could take two weeks or longer, though no hearing date or release decision had been reported.
The case turns on two accounts that remain in dispute. Christopher says Van Der Merwe has pursued asylum through the immigration system and has authorization to work; DHS says the pending case and work card do not resolve its allegation that he overstayed his original admission.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.