EL PASO, Tx., March 27, 2026: On Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Bertha Olga Gómez Fong. Gómez Fong was detained while she walked down an El Paso downtown street during an ICE immigration operation. They detained her after she could not provide immigration agents proof of her legal status in the country.
It is unclear what her legal status in the U.S. was before her detention. Permanent Residents, so-called Green Card holders, are required to always carry proof of their immigration status with them. There are various other immigration statuses that allow immigrants to live or be present in the U.S. They also are required to provide proof of their status to immigration agents at any time.
Gómez Fong, who remains detained by immigration agents in El Paso, will have the opportunity to prove her immigration status. If she was not carrying the appropriate proof at the time of her detention she faces penalties, from fines to administrative removal from the country…