Family of Montreal woman detained by ICE for over 3 months living a 'nightmare'
Instead of celebrating the fashion line, the Canadian was taken into United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
The 45-year-old's family said their finances are being stretched as they try to navigate the confusing and difficult legal and immigration systems in the United States.
"She was very strong, very strong," said her mother Maria Estella Cano. "Now every, every day she [cries], every day and [says] she can't take it anymore."
U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up deportation efforts since his return to the White House in January after successfully campaigning on a promise to take drastic actions on illegal immigration.
The immigration crackdown includes controversial actions like targeting students for protesting, as well as sending people to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
There has been an increase in raids by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called ICE, at restaurants and farms amid dramatic standoffs with protesters.
While Trump's team have said they are targeting criminals first, they also said anyone in the country illegally will be deported.
Visa extension denied over ink colour, family says
Callejas was born and raised in Montreal after her family immigrated from Colombia. She started her swimsuit line in Canada around 2012 and was gaining momentum but when her father became unwell she paused her dreams to help care for him.
Following her father's 2020 death, Callejas restarted her efforts to build a swimsuit company. Family said she did a few runway shows in Florida over the years and saw that there was real opportunity for her fashion line to develop in the state.
She even was invited to take part in Miami Swim Week last year.
She bought property in Florida, her mother said, and lived a modest life while working to build the brand.
Family said they believed she was in the United States on a non-immigrant visa for people with special skills that was set to expire in March. They said she applied for an extension in February, but it was denied for a technical reason around the colour of ink used to sign the document.
WATCH | Canadians in ICE detention centres left in legal limbo:
What we know about Canadians in ICE detention
8 days ago
Families of Canadians detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say they're furious at the treatment of their loved ones and are fighting for their release. Multiple Canadians are currently in detention centres, according to Global Affairs Canada.
Family said Callejas reapplied, thinking the issue was solved.
On March 28, Callejas was arrested for battery after family said there was an altercation with her then-boyfriend. Family say Callejas maintains her innocence in the situation and said she was defending herself.
After posting bail, her family said Callejas was taken into ICE custody.
An ICE spokesperson said Callejas entered the United States on a non-immigrant visitor visa and violated the terms of her admission. ICE said she will "remain in custody pending completion of her immigration proceedings."
Cano said her daughter's detainment has been a "nightmare" for the family.
"Every time I open my eyes, it is not real life," Cano said, holding back tears.
Family said Callejas has been transferred to at least three different facilities. Finances are being exhausted as they try to get legal representation. They said it cost US$5,000 just for one lawyer to submit paperwork.
As Callejas spends more time in detention, her mental health is also suffering, family said.
Canos said she wants her daughter to be able to have a fair chance to defend herself in court. Her next appearance for the criminal charge is on Monday.
Cano said when that is resolved they want Callejas to leave the United States on her own accord so that she can finish her visa application from Canada and continue her dreams of a swimwear line.
Global Affairs Canada said it could not provide information about particular cases because of privacy concerns.
Around 55 Canadians in detention, ICE says
The department said on June 27 it was aware of about 55 Canadians detained by ICE. The number of cases has remained relatively stable in recent months, it said, however it fluctuates as cases are resolved and new cases arise.
Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian citizen, died in ICE custody in South Florida in June.
Noviello was being detained pending removal from the U.S., officials said. He entered the U.S. in 1988 on a legal visa and became a lawful permanent resident in 1991. He was convicted of drug trafficking and other charges in 2023 and sentenced to a year in prison, officials said.
Noviello was picked up by ICE agents at his probation office last month and charged with removability because of his drug conviction, authorities said.
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Second Sons alludes to the Great Replacement, the conspiracy theory that white people are being driven to extinction. That group spun out of Diagolon, which the RCMP has labelled an "extremist, militia-like organization." CBC News contacted Second Sons and received an email response from Morgan Guptill, partner of Diagolon founder Jeremy MacKenzie, who said she does not speak for Second Sons. Guptill said she didn't understand why men in Canada fail to support other men "gathering regularly to improve their physical and mental well-being, as Second Sons does," and why anyone "with an IQ above 80," would not support "at minimum, a full moratorium on immigration given the current economic trajectory." Economists have in fact noted that higher immigration has had economic benefits for Canada. CBC News also determined active clubs were training in the John Wright Soccer Complex in Brantford, Ont., in addition to Hamilton's Myrtle and Gage parks, based on videos they shared. Nann said active clubs openly training in Gage Park — the site of violence involving people with ties to the Proud Boys during Pride festivities in 2019 — is a "very clear signal to my community." "They are claiming this space and that is absolutely unacceptable," she said. Hamilton needs more effective strategy to stop groups: researcher Chris Erl, a Hamilton-based politics researcher at Toronto Metropolitan University who has studied the violence at the 2019 Pride event, agrees with Nann, saying club members are likely trying to "assert their dominance." It's "upsetting but not entirely unsurprising" to see active clubs out and about in the city, he said, because there's been a lot of far-right organizing in Hamilton over the past few decades. Citing an "old adage" that "if you let one Nazi into your bar then you have a Nazi bar," Erl said this activity needs to be forcefully challenged by residents and the city's institutions. He said the mayor's statement that hate has no place in Hamilton is "really entering into the territory of 'thoughts and prayers'" comments following mass shootings, feeling like a "copy-and-paste response." Hamilton needs a program to address the reason why people join white nationalist groups, to address issues like economic insecurity and to combat propaganda that radicalizes people online, Erl said. Kojo Damptey, a McMaster University sessional instructor and PhD student, said he wants the mayor to back up her words with actions such as funding a hate crimes task force. "A number of us have been saying this for the last 10 years," he said. The former director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion and co-chair of Hamilton's community safety and wellbeing plan has experience organizing against hate. Damptey was also the target of hate during the 2022 municipal election when someone placed a sticker that said 'white lives matter' on one of his campaign ads while running for councillor. Damptey said socio-economic issues such as the housing crisis have driven up anti-immigrant sentiment in recent years and that unless leaders act, these groups will continue to grow. He added community members can also report hate to the community-run We Support Hamilton tool.
