MADISON (WKOW) — The federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, targeted and rounded up people in Madison Friday.

A father of six was one of the people taken into custody.

His wife, Lisa, says ICE came without a warrant and without documentation.

She spoke with us but didn’t want to be identified.

“When people come in here and destroy a life for what reason?” Lisa said. “He’s not a felon, he’s done nothing wrong.”

Lisa’s husband was one of many people taken away by ICE Friday morning during an operation that caught many in Madison off guard.

“They said they were coming to take my husband, that he’d missed an appointment for his visa application for his residency,” she said.

Lisa says no such appointment existed – she says she even confirmed that with federal immigration officials.

“When I called immigration they had nothing on file, they said they had no warrants for him,” Lisa said. “They don’t know why they picked him up.”

She says because of the way people were being picked up in the parking lot next to her house, without documentation or warrants, at first she thought it was a kidnapping.

“I had talked to the FBI actually because they came, they had nothing and they’re demanding a cellphone,” Lisa said. “So I’m thinking has he been kidnapped.”

Lisa says they’ve been married for 17 years, and have shelled out nearly $60 thousand in fees to get her husband permanent residency.

A process she thought they were almost done with.

“They gave him his Social Security Card for the United States, they gave him his work ID and permit for the United States,” she said. “So we were just working, living, filing taxes doing day-to-day life raising our family.

So she’ll continue to wait, and until then she has a message for other families in her situation.

“Everybody is reaching out to help, they come together to help just me,” Lisa said. “So don’t be afraid to try to communicate and try to figure out what’s going on…just don’t give up.”