My name is Madyson Graham, and I never imagined I would be writing these words.
Just a few days ago, my father, Don Graham, age 54, was unexpectedly surrounded by six black SUVs on the freeway in Tacoma WA, forcing his van off the road and damaging his vehicle, then proceeded to aggressively pull him out, slam him down, and forcefully shackle him and take him away.
His work van—containing the tools he depends on to provide for our family—was left on the side of the freeway with the keys still in the ignition.
There were no local police involved. Only unknown humans in masks. My dad was ABUSED by these people with no ability to speak for his rights or stand up for himself, because he was all by himself, and totally surrounded and outnumbered.
My dad is traumatized, and everything happened so suddenly that our family has been left in complete shock, desperately trying to understand how this could happen.
Watching someone you love disappear in an instant is a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone.
For a couple days, we searched desperately for answers. We called office after office, were transferred from one number to another, with mostly silence, and spent hours trying to locate him. At one point he briefly appeared in ICE's online locator, then disappeared from the system again. Every phone call seemed to lead to another dead end.
He was eventually located at the Tacoma Ice Detention center. My mom was allowed one in-person visit with my dad. She was told he was not able to call her, he told us his full story of the abuse that happened during his initial capture, and that he isn’t fed well at all and the conditions feel like Jail.
For over 22 years, my dad has called the United States home.
When I was seven years old, my parents made the difficult decision to leave Canada and move to the United States in hopes of creating a better future for our family. They wanted my sisters and me to have opportunities they believed would not have been possible otherwise. My mother, my sisters, and I are dual U.S. and Canadian citizens, and America has been our home ever since.
My father spent those twenty-two years doing one thing better than anyone I've ever known:
Loving his family.
He is one of the hardest-working people I have ever met.
He has never cared about money, recognition, or status. Everything he has ever done has been for someone else.
He has worked long hours at least 6 days a week for all these years, so our family could get by, even when we struggled financially.
We didn't grow up with much, at one point we were homeless, but somehow he always made sure we never felt poor in the ways that truly mattered. He created a home filled with laughter, love, safety, and hope.
My father is one of the gentlest, funniest, and most selfless people I know. He has always been my rock—my grounding force through every season of life. Whenever I have struggled, he has been the calm voice reminding me that everything would be okay. He has taught me kindness, humility, resilience, lightheartedness, optimism, and what it truly means to love your family without conditions.
Now he is sitting alone in detention.
Knowing that breaks my heart.
My mom is now carrying a burden no one should ever have to face alone. She is a stay-at-home mother who homeschools my eight-year-old little sister. My dad has always been the primary provider for our family. They were already living with financial hardship before this happened, and overnight their only source of income disappeared.
Now my mom is trying to care for my little sister while navigating one of the most confusing legal systems imaginable. She is searching for immigration attorneys, trying to understand court procedures, making countless phone calls, and wondering how she is going to pay for legal representation, rent, food, utilities, more than likely transition to Canada, and the basic necessities to care for our family.
My little sister is only eight years old.
She doesn't understand why he suddenly disappeared or why she can't simply hug him. Watching her heart break has been almost unbearable.
Our greatest hope is that my father will be quickly and gracefully let go, and deported back to Canada with fair treatment.
We want the opportunity to face this together—as a family.
At the same time, we have to prepare for every possibility. If my father is ultimately required to return to Canada, we want to be together. That could mean helping my mom and little sister relocate to Canada so our family is not separated indefinitely. It would mean starting over, rebuilding their lives, and making an incredibly difficult transition together.
We never imagined we would be facing something like this.
Today, we are asking for help.
Every donation will go directly toward:
• Hiring experienced immigration attorneys and legal representation
• Court costs and immigration case expenses
• Rent, food, utilities, and essential living expenses while my dad is unable to work
• Supporting my mom as she continues homeschooling and caring for my little sister
• Travel expenses related to my dad's case
• If necessary, helping my mom and little sister relocate to Canada so our family can remain together
If you are unable to donate, we completely understand.
Please consider sharing our story.
Please keep my dad in your prayers.
Please pray for strength for my mom.
Please pray for comfort for my little sister.
Please pray that compassion, mercy, and justice and fairness guide whatever comes next.
My dad is so much more than a case number.
He is a husband. A father. A protector. A provider.
A man who has spent more than two decades quietly putting everyone else's needs before his own.
If you've ever been loved by a father, hugged your child, worried about losing someone you love, or believed that families deserve the chance to face life's hardest moments together, I ask you to keep our family in your heart.
From the bottom of ours, thank you for reading our story, for your compassion, for your prayers, and for standing beside us during one of the hardest chapter of our lives.
With love and endless gratitude,
Madyson Graham & Family