A British woman found herself in legal trouble in California as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took her into custody for overstaying her visa.

At the age of 33, Katie Paul was arrested in San Diego while accompanied by her husband and their six-month-old son.

Katie had gone to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services office for what she thought would be a straightforward green card appointment, aiming to complete the necessary steps for her permanent residency.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when ICE agents intervened, placing her in handcuffs and arresting her during what turned out to be an immigration enforcement operation.

Her American husband could only watch in shock as she was taken into federal custody.

‘We see the ICE agents come around, and they say that they’re arresting Katie,’ her husband Stephen Paul, also 33, told NBC, describing the incident that has sent shockwaves through the family.

‘She was just stunned. She kept asking what was wrong, what did we do? We’d done everything right.’

ICE confirmed her detention in a written statement. 

‘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 US immigration law.’

Katie Paul, 33, left, detained by ICE in front of her husband and six-month-old baby boy 

Stephen Paul, 33, had to stop working while his wife is detained in order to look after baby Alan

The couple admits that Katie had indeed overstayed her visa but the pair stressed their immigration lawyer said such transgressions are routinely forgiven when filing for a spousal green card. 

On this occasion ICE intercepted the appointment and took Katie directly into federal custody. 

Stephen said the incident unfolded without any warning or explanation.

‘We kept asking them if there was something we could do, if there was any way we could keep her from being separated from the family,’ he said. 

But officers would only say: ‘I’m sorry. We’ve tried to not have to do it, but we’ve got direct orders.’

The arrest comes as the Trump administration expanded its second-term immigration sweeps into more cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina. 

ICE said its operations are ‘targeted’ and focused on ‘national security, public safety, and border security,’ 

The couple’s six-month-old son, Alan, has been without his mother since the arrest.

‘I had to take my baby, our baby, from his crying mother’s arms,’ Stephen said. ‘It took almost three hours to get a hold of her because we had to fight just to find out where to go, to ask to see her.

Katie fell pregnant on a trip to the US. The pregnancy was deemed high-risk so she remained in the US with medical approval while the couple began the green-card process

Despite overstaying her visa, Katy was told it would very likely not be a problem during her green card application process

‘Nobody wants this. Nobody wants to see families ripped apart,’ Stephen added referring to his infant son. ‘You can’t look at him and think it’s okay to take him from his mom.’

The arrest comes as the Trump administration expanded its second-term immigration sweeps into more cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina

‘My baby doesn’t have his mom to hold him. I can’t work right now because I need to take care of him,’ he explained. 

‘I can’t ask family to take care of him because I’m afraid if I don’t have him to take care of, I’m going to just fall apart worrying about Katie.’

Stephen eventually reached her by phone. ‘She said that she was scared. She was anxious, missed her baby. She just wants to come home,’ he said.

According to the family, even ICE personnel at the holding facility questioned the operation.

Katie recounted that agents in the detention center told her she was ‘not the sort of person we’re supposed to be arresting.’

The new mom originally traveled from Surrey, England, to California in September 2024 to visit Stephen, then her long-distance partner. 

Weeks later, the two married after discovering Katie was pregnant. 

Because the pregnancy was high-risk, she remained in the US with medical approval while the couple began the green card process.

Katy’s mother, Jules Peters, 55, said her daughter had been face-timing from the detention center, appearing exhausted and overwhelmed

The family is hoping for Katy’s release by Thanksgiving

Federal agents arrest a man in an immigration enforcement operation in a parking lot in Florida earlier this month

Her mother, Jules Peters, 55, said she was blindsided when her daughter sent a frantic message: ‘Mum, ICE are going to detain me.’

‘We are in absolute pieces,’ Jules said from the UK. ‘Katie is in shock; she just can’t believe that this has even happened to her. She loves living in the US… she just wants her life with her husband and baby.’

Jules said her daughter had been Facetiming from the detention center, and appeared exhausted and overwhelmed. 

‘She has anxiety and is feeling really, really low; she just wants to be with her husband and baby.’

The family is hoping for her release by Thanksgiving.

‘Nobody wants this. Nobody wants to see families ripped apart,’ Stephen added. ‘You can’t look at him and think it’s okay to take him from his mom.’