Pregnant Venezuelan woman and her baby detained by federal agents in Seattle's U-District

After a suspected immigration arrest set off alarms Tuesday afternoon near the University of Washington campus in Seattle, police have confirmed that federal officials made the arrest on a warrant unrelated to immigration. Mayor Katie Wilson later confirmed the arrest was in connection to a criminal warrant.

KUOW has also learned that the person detained is a pregnant woman from Venezuela. Her 10-month-old baby girl was in the car at the time of the arrest and was also taken into custody, according to friends of the detained woman.

Videos of the arrest show armed men in military uniforms, bullet-proof vests, helmets, and assault-style rifles surrounding the woman, while she stands with her hands behind her back.

Seattle Police confirmed the Department of Homeland Security made the arrest and referred further questions to the agency.

The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for comment or explained the charges that led to the arrest.

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Two friends of the Venezuelan woman told KUOW that she came to the U.S. in 2023 to seek asylum, and had a work permit. The status of her immigration case is unclear.

When the friends went to pick up the woman's car Wednesday morning, they didn't know why the woman had been arrested, where she was being held, or where her baby was.

Mayor Wilson later said in a statement the child was now with Child Protective Services.

“We don’t know anything about her or the baby,” said Egly Farfan in Spanish.

The friends said they called different ICE and DHS offices in Western Washington but they were not able to find any additional information.

“She dedicated herself to her work, and fight for her daughter, because she’s a single mother,” Farfan said. “We called the center for detention. We don’t know anything. We’re worried for the baby girl.”

Farfan and another friend, Francesca Castañeda, spoke with KUOW Wednesday morning at the location of the arrest. KUOW is not naming the detained woman to protect her privacy.

The friends are all asylum seekers from Venezuela. They had all been in touch via text and video call just a few hours before the woman was detained.

Castañeda said the woman has just moved to the U-District. It was supposed to be a new chapter in her life.

“ It’s been a day since she moved in here, right after she’d just saved up enough money to rent her apartment and move in," she said. "On the following day—can you imagine—while she was finishing moving her things, this happens to her?”

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The friends said the Venezuelan woman was detained while she was taking her baby to the hospital after a three-day fever.

“It’s not fair that they won’t let us know where she is. They haven’t been in touch, and I don’t know—I mean, where is the baby? Because the baby might need to take her milk, and she’s sick and needs her medicine, and we don’t know anything,” Castañeda said.

A woman who witnessed the arrest and asked to remain anonymous said four to five SUVs and trucks flashed police-style lights on the grills of their cars to pull over a grey Honda Civic the woman was driving. After the arrest, DHS officers went back to the car.

“Somebody goes to the car and I even made the comment. I said, ‘Don't tell me they're gonna pull out a baby,'" she said. "And sure enough, they pull out a baby and they put 'em in the SUV.’”

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University of Washington officials say initial information indicates the arrest was in connection with an out-of-state warrant.

“The UW is still working to gather verifiable information,” said Victor Balta, a spokesperson for the university.

“At this time, our understanding is that no UW students, faculty or staff were involved," Balta said. "We understand that incidents such as these can be deeply upsetting and will attempt to provide accurate information as soon as possible.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated at 4:23 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, to include information from a statement made by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.