Trump Voter's Wife Detained By ICE During Green Card Interview
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A Canadian wife of a MAGA voter and mother of three U.S. children was detained by federal authorities during her green card interview.
Cynthia Olivera, 45, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Chatsworth, California, on June 13, according to a post on Change.org.
"The U.S. is my country. That's where I met my husband. That's where I went to high school, junior high, elementary. That's where I had my kids," Olivera told ABC 10News San Diego from a detention center in El Paso, Texas.
She and her husband both supported President Donald Trump's plans to conduct mass deportations.
Officials in Canada told Newsweek that it is aware of Cynthia's detention.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek, in part, "On June 13, 2025, ICE arrested Cynthia Ivanna Olivera, an illegal alien from Canada, who was previously deported and chose to ignore our law and again illegally entered the country. A judge issued her a final order of removal in 1999, and she was deported to Canada. That same year, she reentered the country illegally AGAIN. Reentering the county after being deported is a FELONY.
"She will remain in ICE custody pending removal to Canada."
Newsweek has contacted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Why It Matters
The case comes amid a crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump's administration. The Republican leader pledged to remove millions of immigrants without legal status as part of a hard-line mass deportation policy. However, concerns have been raised as dozens of cases have emerged of nonviolent immigrants getting caught in the immigration raids.
The White House has said that anyone living in the country illegally is a "criminal."
Federal agents talk to each other outside immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits federal building on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in New York.
Federal agents talk to each other outside immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits federal building on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in New York.
Yuki Iwamura/AP
What To Know
Olivera had spent years navigating a lengthy and complex immigration process to get her green card.
On the day of her arrest at Chatsworth immigration office, a security guard asked if her name was Cynthia. She confirmed it, and the guard let her proceed. Shortly afterward, she was called into an interview room to answer questions from an immigration officer while her husband, Francisco Olvera, a U.S. citizen, waited outside.
After she gave her statement, ICE agents entered the room, and the interviewer never returned. She stood up and was then handcuffed.
"We feel blindsided, betrayed," Francisco told ABC 10News, adding, "I want my vote back."
Cynthia told the outlet her parents moved her from Toronto to the United States when she was only 10.
In 1999, immigration officials at the Buffalo border crossing issued her an expedited removal order after finding out she had been residing in the U.S. without legal status, ABC 10News reported.
For the next 25 years, she worked in Los Angeles, paid taxes, and supported her family while trying to build a better life. In 2024, she received a work permit under the Biden administration, allowing her to work legally in the country.
"The only crime I committed is to love this country and to work hard and to provide for my kids," she said.
What People Are Saying
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek:
"On June 13, 2025, ICE arrested Cynthia Ivanna Olivera, an illegal alien from Canada, who was previously deported and chose to ignore our law and again illegally entered the country. A judge issued her a final order of removal in 1999, and she was deported to Canada. That same year, she reentered the country illegally AGAIN. Reentering the county after being deported is a FELONY.
"She will remain in ICE custody pending removal to Canada.
"We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."
A Global Affairs Canada spokesperson told Newsweek: "Global Affairs Canada is aware of the detention of a Canadian citizen in the United States. Consular officials are in contact with the individual to provide consular assistance. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.
Every country or territory decides who can enter or exit through its borders. The Government of Canada cannot intervene on behalf of Canadian citizens with regard to the entry and exit requirements of another country."
Cynthia said: "I've gone to four different facilities, and every single facility I've gone to, I've told them I'll pay for my own flight. I'll pay for it."
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