Everlee Wohongi, Hortonville roots. Victim of rogue ICE arrest.

It’s Wednesday evening, mid-May, Everlee Wohongi has been in detention facilities for just over a month. She is 37 years old and grew up in Hortonville, WI after moving here at age 6 with her family. The Wohongi family is from New Zealand and moved to the United States 3 decades ago. They are naturalized citizens and hold the same legal rights, protections, and responsibilities as a citizen born in the United States. Her mother, Betty, has been a bus driver for HASD for well over a decade. Her father, Gordon, is a locomotive engineer and longtime volunteer at the Hortonville food pantry, located in Dale, WI. I’ve met each of their kids at my coffeeshop. Everlee has a warm smile. Reagan worked at the local vet on Main St. for some time. Avaiiki has the frame to move mountains. Their presence is grounding and makes you smile.
Everlee was wrongfully taken by ICE on April 10th while traveling back from a family trip to New Zealand. Many news articles are available describing what she has been through over the past month. Without diving too far into the details, my biggest concern is how we talk about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in our communities, airports, public or private settings. Everlee is the victim of intentional cruelty. The protections that the constitution once provided have been trampled on. She has been racially profiled. She is not a dangerous criminal.
Even then, we have, or had, a process to maintain people’s innocence until proven guilty. ICE is willing to use rogue tactics, far-reaching intimidation, chaos, violence, and bullying people into losing their constitutional rights. More info on that topic here, “How ICE Went Rogue: Analysis of the Legal Authorities Governing ICE - American Immigration Council”. My recommendation is two parted. One, to evaluate which criminals are being protected right now. While chaos is deployed onto everyday Americans, the ultra wealthy are lining their pockets. Two, there is a hearing scheduled for Everlee Wohongi on May 21, 2026 at 160 S Macy St. Fond du Lac, WI 54935. Courtroom #1 @ 1:30pm. Public support is encouraged and appreciated and please spread the word!