ICE in Iowa: West Liberty man with no criminal record detained

It’s happening in Iowa.

Pascual Leonardo Pedro-Pedro, 20, of West Liberty, went to a routine annual immigration check-in on July 1—abiding by what the government is asking him to do as an immigrant—and was detained by ICE.

Pedro-Pedro was brought to the US as a 13-year-old by his father from Guatemala. He has no criminal record. Family and friends say he’s a graduate of West Liberty High School and a standout athlete who helped lead his soccer team to the Class 1A state tournament in 2024. He now works in construction building homes.

“Pascual is a kind, humble young man who came to this country seeking safety and a better life,” said Pedro-Pedro’s godfather, Father Guillermo Treviño Jr., who is also the parish priest and board president of Escucha Mi Voz Iowa.

“His detention is not just a legal issue—it’s a moral crisis.”

Supporters of Pedro-Pedro gathered July 1 outside the Muscatine County Jail, where he is being held, for a prayer vigil.

Want to help? For those who want to help from wherever they are at and can make a phone call, Treviño is also encouraging supporters to call ICE offices in Cedar Rapids and Omaha to request Pedro-Pedro’s immediate release. More information and a sample script is on Treviño’s Facebook post here.

There is also an online form from Catholic Worker here, which will email ICE, and a Go Fund Me set up to aid the family and help his legal defense here.

“Pascual belongs with his family and community,” Treviño wrote.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding nearly 60,000 people in facilities across the country, likely setting a record high, according to CBS News. To keep up with the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation goals, they’re detaining folks who are abiding by our laws: 47% of those being detained by ICE have no criminal record.

As former Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier editor Pat Kinney pointed out in his coverage of Waterloo’s pro-immigrant rally and march on July 1, Congress hasn’t passed meaningful immigration reform in nearly 40 years.
Yet their latest budget bill—being voted on today in the House—would pour $100 billion into more ICE and border enforcement.

Immigrants coming to Iowa are the single reason Iowa’s population hasn’t slipped into the red. As Art Cullen at the Storm Lake Times points out, they’re the backbone of the state’s economy: “Immigrants are still cutting hogs … because we absolutely need them.”

Have you heard of other ICE detentions happening in Iowa, or protests planned? What should our elected officials be doing? Email me.

This article was originally published in the Iowa Starting Line newsletter; sign up here.

This article originally quoted another news organization in saying Pedro-Pedro came here at age 7; he came here at age 13.