ICE arrested two people en route to medical appointments in Santa Fe clinic parking lot

On August 19, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Edgar Chacon-Miranda and Adriana Ruiz in Santa Fe, New Mexico while both were on their way to separate medical appointments. Chacon-Miranda had just stepped out of a car with his 11-year-old daughter at La Familia Health's Alto Street clinic when agents, who witnesses said had followed the family from home, surrounded the vehicle; agents questioned the child about her father's name and family before arresting Chacon-Miranda in the clinic parking lot. A DHS spokesperson told Source NM the agency "conducted a targeted enforcement operation" against Chacon-Miranda, describing him as having an extensive criminal history including prior charges of battery against a household member, criminal sexual penetration, child abuse and child abandonment. Court records show those 2018 Santa Fe charges were dismissed after the case was not prosecuted within the statutory time limit; Chacon-Miranda's immigration attorney, Allegra Love, said he has never been convicted of them and, on that basis, qualifies for lawful permanent resident status.

Separately, agents approached Adriana Ruiz's vehicle as she was leaving with a relative for a medical appointment for a two-month-old infant. According to Ruiz's family, agents refused to show identifying paperwork when asked and cited a vehicle description that did not match the car Ruiz was in. Ruiz was taken into custody; DHS did not respond to a request for comment on her arrest, and her family said they could not confirm her whereabouts or whether she received medical care afterward.

The two arrests were among as many as 16 that the ACLU of New Mexico has identified in the Santa Fe area in the recent enforcement period. Local officials, including Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia, condemned the clinic-lot arrest specifically; neither city police nor the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office participated in the ICE operations. U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, who has introduced legislation to bar ICE from arresting people at hospitals, clinics, schools and churches, said the administration has abandoned the practice of avoiding enforcement at such "sensitive places."