ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A metro Atlanta family is desperate for answers after they say Marcela Jimenez Macias was detained by ICE in Douglasville. According to her husband Gilberto Medina, ICE officers pulled him and his kids over on Friday not far from their home. He claims ICE told him to call his wife to get the children because he thought he was being detained. But he said when his wife arrived, they detained her instead. Gilberto Medina's wife was detained by ICE, according to him.(wanf)They recorded the entire interaction.“And one police told me all the time, the problem is not with you,” Medina said, about his conversations with the officers. “But the other guy told me, ‘Hey, I’m arresting you and call your wife because I don’t want to leave the kids in here.’”Medina told Atlanta News First he and his wife both have work permits and moved to the United States from Mexico three years ago. But he continued to say he believes his wife’s November citation for driving without a license is what led to her being detained. He said they took care of that in the courts and paid what was due. Now his family is devastated and afraid Medina may be next. “It’s hard. I don’t send my kids to school because I don’t want to lose my family,” he said. Jamene Christian is an Atlanta-based immigration attorney with JustAnswer. She often hears of cases similar to what happened to Macias. “There must be a judicial warrant. With a judicial warrant, your name will be located on the warrant. It will be signed by a judge and this is when they can take you into custody,” she said about what is required. While she is not working with this particular case, she said the best advice is to record what’s happening, take note of who you’re talking to and have a plan. “Have an ICE plan, so that if you are ever pulled over by ICE,” she said. “You don’t have to speak to ICE, you don’t have to call your wife. You could say, ‘Am I being detained?’”The Mexican Consulate is working with Macias’ family. Atlanta News First reached out to ICE for more information on her case and will update with a response. Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.