ICE Detains Dominican Father with Permanent Residency and Custody of Disabled Son

New York. Heury Secundino Gómez Grullon, a Dominican-born lawful permanent resident, was arrested on August 5, 2025, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at Newark International Airport, New Jersey, as he returned from a brief trip to Mexico. The arrest, based on old minor convictions, jeopardizes his full custody of his son Noah, a U.S. citizen with severe disabilities who depends on complex medical care.

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For two decades, Heury has lived and worked in the United States, paying taxes and supporting his family. His life revolves around Noah, his only child, 18, who requires a tracheostomy, a feeding tube, and constant supervision.

On March 19, 2025, after a long legal battle, the Bronx Family Court granted Heury full and permanent custody of Noah. In its ruling, the court highlighted his “constant devotion” and medical preparedness as evidence of deep ethical commitment and exemplary character. This decision allowed Noah to finally leave the children’s hospital where he had spent much of his life and live with his father in a safe environment suited to his needs.

Legal Background

In 2015, a complaint by his ex-wife included serious charges such as second-degree robbery, assault, and possession of stolen property. If pursued, these allegations could have resulted in years of imprisonment and serious immigration consequences. However, after the legal process, in 2017, the court reduced the case to three minor offenses: attempted third-degree assault (Class B misdemeanor) with 20 days in jail and probation; attempted petit larceny (Class B misdemeanor) with another 20 days; and second-degree harassment (violation) with one year of unsupervised release.

The immediate fulfillment of these sentences and the reduction of the charges demonstrated that the proven facts did not pose a danger, allowing for his full reintegration into society.

Help Heury reunite with his son, who is facing health problems. Click here and donate now.

The Trip That Changed His Fate

After a brief birthday trip to Mexico, Heury landed in Newark on August 5, 2025. ICE agents detained him, citing the 2017 minor convictions to initiate deportation proceedings.

Initially held in New Jersey, on August 19 he was transferred without notice to the North Lake Processing Center, a detention facility operated by GEO Group in Baldwin, Michigan, hundreds of miles away from his son and legal team.

The detention disrupted the final phase of Noah’s medical discharge plan, which required his father’s presence and training. “Every day Heury spends in detention is another day Noah remains in a hospital bed instead of at home with his father,” said a representative of the Dominican diaspora following the case.

Help Heury reunite with his son, who is facing health problems. Click here and donate now.

Community Response and Legal Support

The Dominican community in New York reacted with outrage. Relatives, friends, and diaspora leaders organized a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal defense costs and prevent what they consider an unjust deportation, demonstrating their ability to mobilize against an immigration system that can prolong detentions and end in permanent expulsion.

Legal Debate

Immigration attorneys argue that the 2017 convictions fall under the “petty offense exception” outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 212(a)(2)(A)(ii)(II). This clause exempts individuals from inadmissibility if they have a single minor offense with a maximum sentence of one year and an actual sentence of no more than six months.

The defense plans to present the Certificate of Disposition and the custody order to prove that Heury poses no danger and that the right to family unity justifies his stay in the country. They also intend to invoke the doctrine of cancellation of removal and the discretion that immigration judges can exercise in cases of strong community ties.

Help Heury reunite with his son, who is facing health problems. Click here and donate now.

The case of Heury Secundino Gómez Grullon goes beyond the courtroom. It is the story of a father who, after overcoming criminal proceedings and proving his caregiving abilities, fights to avoid being expelled from the country he has called home for two decades. As immigration hearings move forward, Noah’s life remains on hold, waiting for the day when father and son can finally share the home that the family court has already recognized as the safest place for both.