Canadian mother reportedly detained in the U.S. as Trump-voting husband feels 'totally blindsided'
A Canadian woman has been detained in the U.S. during her green card interview for being in the U.S. illegally, California-based KGTV reported Thursday.
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Cynthia Olivera's green card interview was on June 13 in California. As she went into the interview room, her husband, Francisco Olivera waited outside. 'We feel totally blindsided. I want my vote back,' Francisco told KGTV after Cynthia was detained.
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Trump voter feels "blindsided...betrayed" after wife arrested by ICE at green card interview: 'I voted for change. But I didn't vote for THIS change.'
Last year, Canadian Cynthia Olivera, 45, who'd been in the U.S. since age 10, got a work permit under the Biden administration.… pic.twitter.com/64T7VPlD0j
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) July 5, 2025
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Francisco is a U.S. citizen and self-identified Trump voter. The U.S. president's promises to deport dangerous criminals appealed to the couple but they didn't think Cynthia's lack of legal U.S. status would be a problem — no criminal charges were found under Cynthia's name by KGTV. 'The U.S. is my country,' Cynthia told KGTV from an immigration detention centre in El Paso, Texas. '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,' she continued.
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The 45-year-old was born in Canada and taken to the U.S. by her parents when she was 10 years old. In 1999, when Cynthia was 19 years old, U.S. border officials determined she was living in the country without a legal status and an order was obtained to deport her.
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After being removed, Cynthia returned within a few months to the U.S. by driving to San Diego from Mexico, The Guardian reports. 'They didn't ask me for my citizenship – they didn't do nothing. They just waved me in,' Cynthia told KGTV.
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