Newly obtained surveillance video from Dane County Regional Airport shows two plainclothes ICE agents waiting inside the terminal for about 45 minutes, speaking with two sheriff’s deputies and stopping at least seven other white men to ask for identification before they detained Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe, 21, on Thursday, November 5, 2026. The footage, reported Tuesday, November 10, by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, adds a new layer to a detention that drew national attention.

Key Points

• Video shows two plainclothes ICE agents inside Dane County Regional Airport for about 45 minutes before detaining Trooper Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe on November 5.
• The agents spoke with two sheriff’s deputies and stopped at least seven other white men for identification, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
• Van Der Merwe, 21, was detained as he boarded a domestic flight to New Mexico; agents handcuffed and shackled him and took him to the Dodge County Jail.
• He was released on Friday, November 6, after about 24 hours, under an order of supervision, while removal proceedings continue despite a work permit valid through 2030.
• His attorney says it appears the TSA tipped off ICE when he bought his ticket; DHS says he overstayed after entering in March 2019, and ICE alleged no crime.

What Happened

The video covers the period before the arrest inside the terminal at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison. According to the Journal Sentinel’s account, two plainclothes ICE agents waited inside the terminal for about 45 minutes, spoke with two sheriff’s deputies and approached at least seven other white men, asking each for identification, before they turned to Van Der Merwe.

Van Der Merwe was detained as he prepared to board a domestic flight to New Mexico to visit family. Agents handcuffed him and shackled his legs, then drove him to the Dodge County Jail. He was released on Friday, November 6, after about 24 hours, after outgoing Representative Derrick Van Orden contacted Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He was released under an order of supervision and is expected to return to State Patrol duties. Read the original detention report: ICE detains Wisconsin state trooper with pending asylum case at Madison airport.

Background: Who the Trooper Is and Why He Was Detained

Van Der Merwe was born in South Africa and came to the United States with his family in 2019, when he was 14. He is listed on his father’s pending asylum application, after a wait of about seven years for an interview, and he holds a federal work authorisation valid through 2030. He joined the Wisconsin State Patrol on July 13, 2025, serves at the Tomah post and lives in Onalaska.

The Department of Homeland Security says he entered in March 2019 with permission to stay until September 2019 and overstayed, and it has described the arrest as a targeted enforcement operation. DHS has also said work authorisation or a pending asylum application do not confer legal status. ICE did not allege he committed any crime. His attorney, Marc Christopher, disputes the overstay claim. Read the release report: Wisconsin trooper freed from ICE custody under supervision order, lawyer says.

ICE Questioned Seven Men Before Detaining the Wisconsin Trooper

The new footage is the first detailed look at what the agents did in the terminal before the arrest. The Journal Sentinel reported that the two plainclothes agents spent about 45 minutes inside the terminal, spoke with two sheriff’s deputies and stopped at least seven other white men to ask for identification before detaining Van Der Merwe.

Nothing reported so far says what the agents asked those men, whether any were detained, or how the agents chose whom to approach. The video does not say why the agents were at the airport that day. What it shows is a pattern of identification checks in the minutes before the arrest, and that is now the focus of questions about the operation. The footage also matters because of the attorney’s claim about the ticket purchase: if ICE was alerted when he bought his ticket, the 45-minute wait fits a planned encounter. Related coverage: ICE officer Mario Morales surrenders in Houston court, freed on $30,000 bond.

Reactions and Quotes

Van Der Merwe’s attorney, Marc Christopher, says it appears the TSA tipped off ICE when Van Der Merwe bought his ticket. He has also said similar airport arrests have been reported in Milwaukee and Appleton.

DHS says he entered in March 2019 and overstayed, and calls the arrest a targeted enforcement operation. It says work authorisation and a pending asylum application do not confer legal status, and it has not alleged any crime.

Why It Matters

The video changes the picture from a single arrest at an airport gate into a longer operation inside a public terminal, with other travellers questioned first. That raises questions beyond one trooper: how ICE selects people for identification checks at domestic airports, and what happens to people stopped but not detained.

Van Der Merwe is a serving state trooper with a pending asylum application and a work permit valid through 2030, detained while travelling on a domestic flight inside the United States. His detention, and now the video of the checks before it, has become a test case for how far airport enforcement reaches into everyday travel.

What Happens Next

Van Der Merwe is expected to return to his duties with the Wisconsin State Patrol, but his immigration case is not over. Removal proceedings continue, and his release conditions require regular check-ins with ICE, with electronic monitoring a possibility. The video is likely to prompt further questions to ICE, the TSA and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office about how the seven other men were chosen. No charges have been announced, and ICE has not alleged he committed any crime.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the new video show?
Video from Dane County Regional Airport shows two plainclothes ICE agents waiting about 45 minutes and stopping at least seven other men for identification before detaining Trooper Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe on November 5, 2026.

Who is Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe?
A 21-year-old Wisconsin State Patrol trooper, born in South Africa, who came to the United States with his family in 2019 at age 14. He joined the State Patrol on July 13, 2025, and serves at the Tomah post.

Why was he detained?
DHS says he entered in March 2019 and overstayed his permission to stay until September 2019. His attorney disputes that. ICE did not allege he committed any crime.

Is he still in custody?
No. He was released on Friday, November 6, after about 24 hours, under an order of supervision. Removal proceedings continue, and he may face electronic monitoring.

Does he have a work permit?
Yes. He holds a federal work authorisation valid through 2030 and is listed on his father’s pending asylum application.