REPORT: ICE Officers Save 2-Year-Old Found Wandering Alone

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers rescued a 2-year-old boy who was found wandering alone in the street during an enforcement operation in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The incident reportedly occurred on July 13, when ICE officers assigned to a Nashville Fugitive Operations Team were conducting what the agency described as a routine enforcement operation. Officers spotted the toddler walking alone in the roadway wearing only a heavily soiled diaper.

ICE said the child had nearly been struck by a passing vehicle and appeared to have been wandering unsupervised for several hours according to a report by The Daily Wire.

Officer Michael Joyce said the boy was standing in the middle of a parking lot when officers arrived. The team immediately stopped traffic to protect the child, contacted the Murfreesboro Police Department, and began searching for the child’s family.

Officers eventually located the boy’s mother asleep inside a nearby apartment with the front door left open. According to ICE, she was unaware that her son had left the residence.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans Acting Field Office Director Scott Ladwig, whose office oversees operations in Tennessee, praised the officers’ quick response in a statement.

“Our officers are trained to respond to emergencies and protect the public, no matter the circumstances,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans acting Field Office Director Scott Ladwig, whose office oversees operations in Tennessee, said in a statement.

🚨 NOW: It’s just been announced that ICE officers in Tennessee SAVED a 2-year-old boy found alone in the streets in a soiled diaper, who was nearly STRUCK by a vehicle — Daily Wire

They blocked traffic and SAVED THE BOY, then found his mother 👏🏻

TOM HOMAN NAILED IT: “Guys —… pic.twitter.com/EtWFRWmNdN

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 4, 2026

Ladwig added that the officers’ actions reflected the agency’s commitment to protecting the communities it serves and working closely with local authorities.

“We’re grateful that our team was able to act quickly and help ensure this child’s safety,” Ladwig said. “Supporting our communities and working alongside local law enforcement is a responsibility we take seriously.”

The Murfreesboro Police Department returned the child to his mother after determining she said it was the first time he had wandered away from home. Authorities did not file criminal charges against the mother, though the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services was notified about the incident.

The rescue took place while ICE officers were carrying out immigration enforcement duties, but the agency said that they immediately shifted their focus to protecting the child once they realized he was in danger. Some of the officers involved are fathers themselves, according to the report.

ICE has remained at the center of the national immigration debate in recent weeks as the Trump administration continues to ramp up enforcement efforts across the country. New government data shows ICE arrests and detentions have climbed to their highest levels of Trump’s second term, with the agency averaging well over 1,400 arrests per day in July following a White House push for increased enforcement.

The surge has also brought heightened legal and political battles. A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked New York from enforcing a new law that would have prohibited ICE agents from wearing masks during operations, ruling the state likely overstepped its authority over federal officers. However, the judge allowed a separate state law limiting certain local cooperation agreements with ICE to remain in effect.

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