A Filipino green card holder was about to go to work on Monday morning when U.S. federal immigration agents detained him in his Highland Park, New Jersey home's garage.

Cloyd Edralin, 47, was then processed at a Newark Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, and has been detained at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility.

In an email to ABS-CBN News, ICE spokesperson Emilio Dabul said Edralin was "removable based on his felony conviction for possession of a handgun."

"He is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings," he added.

Cloyd's wife Brandi Davison-Edralin said her husband got in trouble with the law 11 years ago.

"The rug has been ripped out from under all of us, he was really doing so well, on track doing the right things to have this come now is devastating, his attitude has been phenomenal," she said.

While they are aware that this could be an issue that might come up later on, they have not heard from ICE after Cloyd served his time.

"We had been prepared that this might come up -- when he renewed his green card a couple of years back, nothing came up and we said that this was ok and you know, that it’s beyond us know, we don’t have to worry about this," Davison-Edralin said.

The Trump administration has been known to target and deport undocumented immigrants with a criminal past.

While green card holders can legally be deported, Davison-Edralin believes that the Trump administration's new approach of targeting people with legal status is alarming.

"It is terrifying, what they are doing to legal immigrants. Yes, I understand we have laws and there are rules regarding immigration, but the process should not be come and grab them, give them an opportunity to present their case in court while they're living at home," she said.

Davison-Edralin said she and Cloyd's Filipino family make sure to visit him every single day they are allowed to see him.

"It’s like a prison, he said the other detainees have been nice, very helpful," she said.

This situation has dealt a big blow to the family, she added.

"Family income has just decreased, that’s an issue. The kids, it’s been devastating," Davison-Edralin said.

She has a message for the current U.S. president.

"This is not just about the individual, this is about the family, their community, and you’re tearing them up, we need to keep people intact, communities intact and address the issue, but tearing homes and families and communities is not the way to do it," she said.

The Filipino community held a “Rally for Cloyd” at the Reformed Church of Highland Park in New Jersey Friday afternoon and will continue to do so to create awareness about the Trump administration’s new approach in detaining even those with legal status.