On May 11th, my dad, Thanh Pham, was detained during a routine check-in at the Downtown LA ICE facility.

In 2026, ICE unexpectedly called my dad back to the facility multiple times, with this being his third visit this year. Before this year, his check-ins only happened once annually. My family and extended relatives always went together to support him, and after each visit, the wait for him to return from the basement grew longer. This time, we waited over five hours, from 7:45 AM to 12:53 PM, before receiving a call from my dad telling us he was being arrested by ICE. He also told us we only had until 4:00 PM to visit him before he was transferred overnight to a detention center in Adelanto, nearly three hours away from home.

My dad is the greatest man I can think of, and our home doesn’t feel like home without him. He is the kind of person who would offer a helping hand wherever he could, work endlessly to fix or repair any problem, and get along with everyone with little effort. He loves sharing food, stories, and memories, caring for his many pets, and paying attention to the small details that bring joy to our family.

My dad would help family members and neighbors with anything they needed, especially when it came to cars because of how much he loves them, never expecting anything in return. After long shifts at work, he would still save parts of his meals just so he could bring them home to share with us. He always remembered the little things that made us happy. Since he was taken, home has felt unbearably quiet, and every small routine reminds us that he should be here with us.

All donations will go toward retaining an immigration lawyer in California and helping our family maintain our home while we fight for my dad’s release and work to bring our family back together. Any donation, no matter the amount, and every share of this fundraiser means more to us than words can express. Thank you.