Wisconsin State Trooper released after being detained by ICE, sources report

A Wisconsin State Trooper was released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being detained earlier this week.

ABC News reports that Trooper Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe was released Friday night, according to his attorney, Marc Christopher.

Christopher also told ABC News they believe the release was partly due to an intervention by Congressman Derrick Van Orden, who contacted the Secretary of Homeland Security directly.

News station WISN reports the 21-year-old Wisconsin State Trooper was detained at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, WI, and taken to a facility in Dodge County.

A Trooper since July 13, 2025, Van Der Merwe came to the United States from South Africa legally as a child and has waited seven y...