"It's like a nightmare. It's a nightmare. You think he's gonna walk through the door and he's not," Gallardo told Eyewitness News Tuesday.
Ademir Ramas, 40, was taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without warning, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to help the family with essentials and legal fees.
"He was the greatest dad I ever had," the couple's 9-year-old said.
Gallardo, who has cerebral palsy, said Ramas' detention is especially difficult because he was the family's breadwinner and caregiver.
"He was the one who did everything for us. Our laundry. He was the one who went grocery shopping," Gallardo said.
Gallardo shared video of Ramas being taken into custody while working a landscaping job in Pico Rivera Saturday.
That same day, residents captured another scene of ICE agents attempting to detain two other landscapers in Downey.
On Tuesday, residents in Downey took to the streets to protest ICE's actions.
"It's devastating because this is hitting all of us," Downey resident Lissette Rivera said. "The fact they're able to profile and stereotype."
Dozens attended the Downey City Council meeting, calling on lawmakers to do more to end the raids.
"I want you to know that we are with you," Downey Mayor Claudia Frometa told those in attendance.
There's little city officials can do since it's a federal action.
As for Gallardo, she said she's overwhelmed by the kindness from the community after her sons' school launched the GoFundMe.
She said Ramas came to the U.S. 20 years ago on a work visa from Guatemala and has always been dedicated to his family.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Gallardo said. "There's worse people out there, and you're not doing nothing to them."