April 16, 2025Updated April 17, 2025, 9:48 a.m. CTHAMILTON, Ohio − Armando Reyes Rodriguez got a call from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Monday.He needed to come to ICE's office in Blue Ash to have his ankle monitor removed. ICE uses ankle monitors to track people living in the U.S. without legal immigration status, it does not mean they have been convicted of a crime.The phone call was unusual, said Caleb Kragt, co-pastor of Rodriguez's church in Tipp City. Immigrants are typically contacted by the companies that own the ankle monitors, or by ICE through an app."It was not through those channels, but he (Rodriguez) was afraid to not show up," Kragt told The Enquirer Tuesday.So, Kragt drove Rodriguez, 42, from his home in Dayton, Ohio, to Blue Ash.Rodriguez didn't come out of the office. He was detained by ICE officers and transferred to the Butler County Jail, which has a contract with ICE to hold detainees, that same day, jail records show.Rodriguez and his family have been members of the West Charleston Church of the Brethren for around three years, Kragt and his co-pastor, Irvin Heishman, said. He is married and has a 7-year-old son and toddler daughter.The church protested his detention on Monday and again on Wednesday outside the Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio, where Rodriguez is being held. Rodriguez, who is from Honduras, was in the process of seeking asylum, something that Kragt and Heishman said they've helped other church members do.Rodriguez's family felt "a lot of shock" when they learned he was detained, Kragt said.Heishman, who went to comfort the family after Rodriguez was detained, said his son "broke down sobbing.""They're caught between a lot of prayers that he would be able to be released and be returned to them, and the growing, worsening reality that that might not be what happens, and they'll have to radically make some changes," Kragt said. "What is next? They don't know."Rodriguez's wife declined The Enquirer's request for comment on Tuesday.'He's a barber. He's not a criminal'Kragt didn't know how many years Rodriguez has lived in the U.S. or Ohio. But in the few years he's known him through the church, Kragt described Rodriguez as helpful and friendly. He said Rodriguez had worked in roofing and landscaping, but he loved being a barber."He's a barber. He's not a criminal. He cuts hair," Kragt said.The pastor said around 30 people showed up at Monday's protest, some with signs that read "Armando." Around two dozen people gathered outside the jail Wednesday."They had signs for Armando and for against mass deportations in general," Kragt said. "Breaking up families does not make America great."Church helps members seek asylumHeishman told The Enquirer on Wednesday most of their church members now have legal immigration status. The West Charleston Church of the Brethren has around 100 members, some of whom are refugees and immigrants. They offer a translation service and helped Rodriguez and his family, and others, navigate a "very expensive" and complex immigration process, Heishman said."They feel like a part of our family," he said.The church is a denomination of Christian and makes a point to be open to LGBTQ+ people and immigrants, Heishman said. He added that church is sometimes compared to Quakers and Mennonites because of similar beliefs."It's heartbreaking when families are broken up, especially when there's no criminal reason for him to be detained," Heishman said.This story has been updated to include Rodriguez's age.