Atcharee Buntow, a 42-year-old mother and longtime Alaska resident, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite being in the process of obtaining her green card — a move that has drawn widespread concern from her family and local advocates. She was unexpectedly detained by ICE in Alaska.
Buntow, who has lived in the United States for over 30 years, was taken into ICE custody earlier this month during a routine check-in. She has no criminal record and was following all legal steps to secure lawful permanent residency, her family says.
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As of Monday morning, ICE’s online detainee locator indicated that Buntow had been transferred to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, a facility often used to hold immigrants from Alaska due to the lack of long-term detention infrastructure in the state. Initially, Buntow was detained in Alaska.
Her family, who have launched a GoFundMe campaign to support legal costs, say her sudden detention has devastated them. Buntow’s children — all U.S. citizens — are now left without their mother as she fights to stay in the country she has called home for most of her life.
“She’s lived here since she was a child. She’s a mom, a worker, and part of this community,” said a family member. “She was trying to do everything right, and now she’s locked away, far from her kids because she was detained by ICE in Alaska.”
According to her attorney, Buntow is in the middle of a family-based green card application and was complying fully with immigration authorities. Her detention, they say, is not only unjust but also undermines trust in the immigration process itself.
“Cases like this make people afraid to come forward, even when they’re following the legal path,” the attorney said. “It’s an unnecessary and harmful use of detention.”
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ICE has not publicly commented on the details of Buntow’s case but confirmed she remains in custody while her immigration case proceeds. Her being detained originally in Alaska is still a cause of distress for her family.
Advocates are calling for her immediate release on humanitarian grounds, noting her strong community ties, lack of criminal history, and her role as the sole caregiver for her children. They also point to the emotional toll on families separated by long-distance detention, especially when the detainee is moved out of state.
“She’s being punished for being honest,” said a local immigrant rights organizer. “This is a system that doesn’t just target criminals — it’s going after mothers, workers, and neighbors by detaining them, like what happened in Alaska with her.”
