British mother Katie Paul arrested by ICE agents while holding baby at green card interview

The mother of a British woman detained by ICE agents has said her family is “in absolute pieces”. Katie Paul, 33, was arrested while holding her six-month-old baby at her green card interview.

Katie Paul, 33, and her husband, Stephen Paul, 33, were at the San Diego U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. She was in the final stages of getting her green card approved when ICE agents came in and arrested Katie while she had her six-month-old son in her arms.

Katie went out to San Diego, California, US, in September 2024, to meet up with her husband, Stephen, after dating long distance. The couple then tied the knot the following month and found out that they were expecting their first child together.

Initially, she was planning on returning to the UK while she got her green card sorted, but was told her pregnancy was high-risk, so she decided to sort it out from the US. Katie’s "distraught" mum, Jules Peters, 55, said: "They had a long-distance relationship. When she went out there last September, he had proposed.

“They got married quickly the following month, and Katie found out she was pregnant. Due to it being a high-risk pregnancy, Katie didn't want to travel back and forth. They had spoken to an immigration lawyer who said they can apply for a green card while living in the US because they are married."

On November 19, 2025, Katie, her husband and their son went to the San Diego U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office for her green card interview. A Green Card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows non-citizens to live and live and work in the country permanently.

During the interview, Katie was among a number of other people undergoing the green card process arrested by ICE agents. Jules said: "On Thursday, they were getting everything signed off, that's when ICE agents came in to detain her. My daughter had my six-month-old grandson in her arms while they did this.

"I got a message at 7pm our time on Thursday from Katie, she said, 'mum, ICE are going to detain me'."

Jules, a content creator, from Beccles, Surrey, said: "We are in absolute pieces, there is just nothing we can do. We are in complete limbo as a family; it is hell. Katie is in shock, she just can't believe that this has even happened to her. She loves living in the US, even after all this, she just wants her life with her husband and baby."

Katie is currently in a detention centre, but has been able to FaceTime her mum. Jules said: "She is in complete shock; none of us can believe this is happening to her. The people in the centre aren't treating her badly, but we just can't believe this is happening. She has anxiety and is feeling really, really low; she just wants to be with her husband and baby."

In a statement, NBC San Diego, ICE said that the agency “is committed to enforcing federal immigration laws through targeted operations that prioritise national security, public safety, and border security.”

They said: “Individuals unlawfully present in the United States, including those out of status at federal sites such as USCIS offices, may face arrest, detention, and removal in accordance with U.S. immigration law."

Friends and family of Katie have set up a fundraiser to pay for legal fees to get her home. To donate you can visit the GoFundMe page.