On Saturday, July 11, a routine drive to work turned into a life-altering moment for a Baltimore family. Segundo Quizhpi, a father of four, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his morning commute, his family says. In a matter of hours, the household’s only steady provider was gone, and his wife and children were left scrambling to cover rent, groceries and looming college costs. The eldest daughter has quickly become the main breadwinner while also trying to hire an attorney and care for her younger siblings.
Family launches fundraiser to pay legal fees
According to the family’s GoFundMe, more than 150 people have donated over $5,000 toward a $10,000 goal to cover attorney fees, commissary and basic living expenses. Organizer Julie Quizhpi wrote that separating them from their father is absolutely traumatic, destabilizing, and cruel, and urged the community to share resources and support as the family searches for legal counsel.
Taken during commute and transferred out of state
As reported by Daily Voice, Segundo was detained on his way to work and later transferred to the Farmville Detention Center in Prince Edward County, Virginia, roughly a four-hour drive from the family’s Baltimore home. That reporting also details the children’s situations: Julie graduated from Dickinson College in 2025 and works as a bilingual dermatology assistant; John studies accounting at Stevenson University; Christopher is preparing for his senior year at Dunbar High School; and Kayla is six and just starting elementary school.
Why the Farmville transfer matters
The Farmville Detention Center is a regional ICE facility that holds more than 700 people, according to CoreCivic’s facility page, and it has been used as a transfer site for detainees across the mid-Atlantic. Public radio reporting and detention-tracking groups have noted that a large share of detainees at Farmville are classified as having no prior criminal convictions, a statistic that has drawn criticism from advocates and legal aid organizations.
What the family faces next
Detention by ICE typically leads to immigration court proceedings, and detainees may be eligible to request bond or pursue other defenses depending on the specifics of their case, according to the American Bar Association. The Quizhpi fundraiser states that the money will go toward attorney fees, commissary, possible bond, and immediate household needs while Segundo remains in custody.
Local enforcement patterns raise community concern
Recent local coverage has highlighted how and where ICE carries out arrests in the Baltimore area, prompting fear among neighbors and advocates about the impact on children and workplaces. Hoodline previously reported on an enforcement action near a Baltimore school that underscored those community worries and the practical hurdles families face when a relative is detained far from home.
For now, the Quizhpi family is juggling school schedules, bills and court dates while they work to secure counsel and keep the household afloat. They say they plan to keep supporters updated as their legal case moves forward.
