Katherin Guillen-Acosta was arrested in Durham County on June 24, 2025, for failing to appear in court on two 2022 traffic misdemeanors. A magistrate set her bond at $1,000 but also began a process referring her to ICE, even though her charges of reckless driving and driving without a license did not require a referral under North Carolina's new law. After her bond was posted, ICE took her into custody, and she described poor conditions at the detention center, including inadequate food and mistreatment. Her brother, Wildin Guillen-Acosta, was previously detained by ICE a decade earlier while a high school student, and was held at the same detention facility.