‘I’m not a criminal … I’m a mom’: Canadian shares experience in ICE detention

Michelle Crichlow is seen. (CTV News)

BALTIMORE, Maryland — When U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to target “the worst of the worst” — violent criminals, murderers, rapists, and pedophiles — through ICE, Canadian mom Michelle Crichlow never imagined U.S. Homeland Security would come after her.

“I’m not a criminal, I’ve never committed any crimes,” she told CTV News. “I’m a mom.”

Last July, Crichlow was crossing the U.S. border with her seven‑year‑old daughter, Quinn, to visit family in Toronto for the holidays.

After leaving her daughter with cousins, Crichlow flew back to Baltimore, where she has lived since 2017. She says she was “red‑flagged” at Pearson International Airport and later instructed to travel through Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia to return stateside.

Crichlow later found out her “red‑flag” status stemmed from an expired green card. After divorcing her American husband in 2022, she failed to complete the required legal steps to update her immigration status.

“They took my passport, took me to secondary and that’s where I was for 11 hours,” Crichlow said. “They took my green card; they took my phone... eventually they did tell me I was under arrest.”

Crichlow spent the night in a cell before being handcuffed and driven to an ICE detention facility in Northern Virginia.

Crichlow says she was unable to contact her family, including her daughter, and was informed by detention officers that it was a case of “new administration, new rules.” The mother was given a tin foil blanket, military rations and was detained for several more hours.

“Everyone there spoke Spanish. I saw a boy who was probably 12 years old, and they kept assuring me that I wasn’t staying … but I knew those people weren’t leaving.”

In lieu of detention, she was told she would have to wear an ankle monitor day and night. Crichlow says the bulky monitor gives her cuts and blisters and she tries to hide it from neighbours in fear of what they might think.

“It’s hard to explain when people notice it, especially kids. You know I don’t want anybody to view me as a bad person, or like I’ve done something wrong or criminal.”

Crichlow doesn’t deny she made a costly mistake by not updating her green card but says in the past she would have received a $700 fine instead of facing deportation.

Now she faces the very real fear of being separated from her American-born daughter. The very thought has the loving mom in tears.

“My daughter is my entire life. I have fought tooth and nail for my child, and I can’t, I’m not giving up. I can’t give up. This is my whole life right here.“

Crichlow questions how the country she has called home for nearly a decade can treat its people like this.

“This has been heartbreaking. This has really challenged my faith and changed the way I view America unfortunately,” she said.

“I want other Canadians to be aware of what’s going on … and everyone needs to be careful.”

With files from CTV News’ Kristen Yu