The spouses of Americans are not being spared from being detained by ICE, thus confirming that being married to a native of the United States is not enough to avoid President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. One of the recent cases is that of Bradley Bartell, whose wife Camila Muñoz is detained in an immigration center.
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The story of Batlle and his Peruvian partner was reviewed by USA Today, which details that their love story began when they met through mutual friends at a local steakhouse in Wisconsin. Two years later, they got married and were saving up to buy a house and have children, in the meantime, they were taking care of his 12-year-old son.
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Muñoz’s detention as an immigrant was last month at the airport when they were both coming back from enjoying their honeymoon in Puerto Rico. “Are you a U.S. citizen?” an immigration officer asked the woman, who replied that she is from Peru, but is in the legal process with her American husband to acquire citizenship. Immediately, the officer pulled her aside.
Immigrant spouses and mass deportation
Camila Muñoz’s case is not the only one in the midst of ICE detentions as part of Trump’s mass deportations. There are many immigrants married and engaged to Americans who are being arrested by immigration agents.
Although in most cases, the law protects spouses and fiancés of Americans from deportations, those individuals who are in the process of acquiring citizenship are not safe, as happened with Muñoz.
USA Today confirmed several arrests of immigrants married to Americans, who have also been living in the United States for decades. Some of the cases cited by this media outlet are:
- A woman, at least 50 years old, who has lived in the country for more than 30 years and is married to an American.
- A woman around 30 years old, who arrived in the United States as a teenager, with American father and siblings, and who has valid proof of permanent legal residence.
- A European woman, around 30 years old, got engaged to a United States citizen who overstayed her visa when she was 21 years old.
- A woman committed to a legal permanent resident of the United States, with whom she has lived for nine years.
One of the legal reasons for ICE to detain someone, despite being married to a US citizen, is if they have a criminal record, but USA Today says that in the detentions mentioned, the women have no criminal record. They are all in the legal immigration process, which is why they felt confident traveling. However, they were detained at the airport.
These stories demonstrate that it is not safe for spouses of Americans who are in the midst of the immigration process to move around airports.