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NBC News
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
ICE detains soon-to-be father in Washington state, pregnant wife pleads 'I just want him home'
ICE detained an expectant father in Washington state just months before his wife is scheduled to give birth. On Friday morning, Guilherme Lemes Cardoso E Silva was on his way to pick up his daughter in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, about 100 miles north of Seattle, when multiple unmarked ICE vehicles containing masked agents stopped him on a private road near his home, according to his wife, Rachel Leidig. Silva, originally from Brazil, is a 35-year-old visual artist currently based in Washington state. Photos posted to his Instagram account show some of his colorful work that can be seen across the country. Silva and Leidig met in 2023 at a Flaming Lips concert in San Francisco. The couple married in April and are expecting a baby boy in October. Silva — or Gui, as Leidig calls him — was meant to move to Sausalito, California, at the end of the month to be with Leidig. "He's just one of those people who it's like, when you meet him he's just so loving and warm and kind," Leidig said. "Anyone that genuinely knows Gui knows that he's an amazing person." Silva has no criminal record or outstanding warrants, Leidig said. Silva and Leidig were working with an immigration attorney and in the process of submitting an application to legalize his residency status in the U.S. when Silva was detained. After his detainment, Leidig submitted an I-130 form, or a "petition for alien relative." He was also in the process of renewing his work permit, Leidig said. According to Leidig, Silva told her that the ICE agents who detained him were rough with him and refused to show him a warrant. One agent confiscated his phone when he began recording the incident and others were making jokes during his arrest, she said. "They were behind him laughing and making jokes, saying they were glad they didn't make the news this time," Leidig said. Silva told Leidig that he was held in a holding cell for 38 hours in Ferndale where "the conditions were terrible" and he was given food that made him sick. He was also told to show his tattoos and asked if he had ever been affiliated with a gang, which he said he has never been. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A GoFundMe that was created by Leidig's friend to help support Silva's family and raise money for legal fees has amassed over $56,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. Silva is being held at a detention center in Tacoma, Washington, according to online records. Leidig says he has a court hearing at the end of the month, and she hopes he will be released then. "I just want him home, I want him to come home to me," Leidig said in tears. "We've been trying to do this legally and I want him to be here for the birth of our child, and I want him to be there for me and his son and for his daughter." Leidig says when Silva gets out, he wants to use his experience and law degree from Brazil to help others who are in his position. "He wants to make this a bigger purpose of helping other people," Leidig said.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Man in Green Card Process Held by ICE Says Entire Cell 'Pepper Sprayed'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Prabesh Thapa Chettri, a former University of Louisiana Monroe student from Nepal, told local outlet KNOE that detainees held in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center were "pepper sprayed." Newsweek has confirmed in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee database that Thapa Chettri is being held in its processing center in Jena, Louisiana. Newsweek contacted ICE, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and GEO Group, which operates the facility, for comment via email on Friday. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and has overseen an immigration crackdown since returning to office. Immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has reported dozens of cases involving green-card holders and applicants who were swept up in the immigration raids. Green cards applications can be lengthy and involve filing a petition, completing interviews and providing biometrics. Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and legal permanent resident, has drawn headlines over his detention at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. The facility has faced multiple reports of inhumane conditions, which the GEO Group has denied. A composite image of Prabesh Thapa Chettri and his wife, AbiGayle Grace Russell, from a GoFundMe created on his behalf and the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena on June 20. A composite image of Prabesh Thapa Chettri and his wife, AbiGayle Grace Russell, from a GoFundMe created on his behalf and the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena on June 20. AP Photo/Matthew Hinton/GoFundMe What To Know Thapa Chettri has been in ICE detention for more than five months after officials arrested him following an argument with his wife and discovered that his visa had expired in September 2024. While in custody, he described the conditions of the center in a phone call to KNOE. "Their guards, they pepper sprayed the whole dorm. So everyone—everyone started coughing, and it was hard to breathe. We couldn't see. It was, you know—it was burning our eyes, and they wouldn't let us outside of the door," he said. He added: "I don't have a criminal background. I'm not a criminal, but I'm kept here with criminals, and that's why I feel like I don't belong here." Thapa Chettri came to the U.S. on an F-1 student visa to attend the University of Louisiana Monroe. "During our last year of college we fell on hard times and Prabesh couldn't afford tuition, so he fell out of status," Thapa Chettri's wife, AbiGayle Grace Russell, wrote in an online fundraiser for his legal fees. She said she had filed an I-130 petition to advance the process of Thapa Chettri obtaining a green card, although it is not clear whether she filed ahead of his detention. Newsweek contacted Russell for comment via GoFundMe on Friday. The Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center is one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the United States. Louisiana is the second-largest state for immigration detention, trailing only Texas. The facility is operated by GEO Group, a private prison corporation that contracts with ICE. While a former ICE agent described Jena as "100 percent better than any state jail in Louisiana or the country," human rights advocates and former detainees have painted a different picture. Anthony Enriquez, the vice president of U.S. advocacy and litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, told Newsweek in March: "GEO Group's inhumane, exploitative business cuts costs by denying minimum access to adequate food and medical care and threatening solitary confinement and other punishment to coerce unpaid labor from detained people." There have been multiple reports over the years of alleged abuse, negligence and misconduct at the Jena center. Between 2016 and 2023, at least four detainees died under questionable circumstances. In 2016 alone, three immigrants died within six months. Following a fourth death in 2017, the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties concluded that inadequate medical care contributed to at least two of the fatalities. What People Are Saying AbiGayle Grace Russell told KNOE: "Once they approve it, he gets out. He gets out with a green card. He's allowed to be an American, but they're dragging their feet. They're dragging their feet for everybody. The judge is concerned that he's in detention. You know, she understands it's detention. It is not the place to be. It's not a great place, and [she] doesn't want him to stay there anymore than he needs to." A GEO Group spokesperson told Newsweek in March in response to different allegations: "GEO strongly disagrees with the allegations that have been made regarding the services we provide at GEO-contracted ICE Processing Centers, including the Central Louisiana Center." What Happens Next Russell said she had been in contact with Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, over the matter. Newsweek contacted Cassidy's office for comment via email on Friday.
Newsweek
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
ICE Deports Florida Pastor's Wife After 30 Years In US
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal immigration authorities deported the wife of a Florida pastor who has been living in the United States for nearly 30 years. Daniella Isidro said in a Facebook post that her mother, Maria Isidro, had been removed back to Mexico from their home in Live Oak, Florida. Newsweek has contacted the family and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. A file image shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Officer director Matt Elliston listens during a briefing, in Silver Spring, Maryland, on January 27, 2025. A file image shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Officer director Matt Elliston listens during a briefing, in Silver Spring, Maryland, on January 27, 2025. Alex Brandon/AP Why It Matters The case comes amid President Donald Trump's hardline crackdown on immigration. Under the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up arrests across the country. The White House has maintained that anyone living in the country illegally is considered a "criminal." What To Know Maria Isidro initially came to the U.S. in 1998 to seek medical treatment for one of her children. At one point, she was subject to a removal order. "She was also shackled by wrist, stomach and ankles, leaving bruises on her," Daniella Isidro wrote on Facebook. "This is a [woman] who is loved by a huge community, a pastor's wife, a nana, a wita and our mom." She told ABC affiliate WCJB that her mother went to court for an update on her immigration case but was then held in an ICE detention center for over a week. According to WCJB, after Maria Isidro was detained by ICE, her daughters received a call on June 11, informing them that she had been transferred from a detention center in Texas to Mexico. "I had gone to work that day, and receiving the phone call that my mom had been detained was one of the hardest things I had to do," Daniella Isidro told WCJB. After arriving in the United States, Maria Isidro took steps to follow legal procedures to remain in the country, according to the Facebook post by her daughter. In an interview with CBS affiliate WCTV, the family said that they spent years working to secure Maria Isidro's citizenship and that she regularly met with the Department of Homeland Security to comply with requirements and avoid deportation. As reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, she was issued a removal order in 2004 but had been granted a "stay of deportation" each year since—a discretionary measure that can be revoked at any time. In 2023, she was approved for an I-130 petition, also known as a Petition for Alien Relative, which is a step toward obtaining legal status. What People Are Saying Maria Isidro's son, Jo Isidro wrote in a social media post: "She wasn't taken by illness. She didn't leave by choice. She was detained by ICE during what was supposed to be a routine immigration check-in. My mother is a Christian woman. A preacher's wife. A caregiver. A woman with no criminal record, who's always done things the right way. She showed up to every appointment. She trusted the system. And still, she was taken from us." The family wrote in a post on GoFundMe: "She has shown up to every check-in for over 20 years, always with documents in hand, never hiding, always doing things the right way. As anyone who has gone through this process knows, it is a lengthy and costly process."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Florida family says mom shackled, denied medication, translator in ICE detention
A 52-year-old woman from Live Oak was detained after a check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Tallahassee. Now, her daughter says she's been handcuffed and shackled by the ankles, and is being denied a translator and medication for her diabetes. On June 3, Maria Isidro thought she was going to check in with immigration in Tallahassee, an 82-mile drive, to talk about her case. At least, that's what ICE told her. She thought to herself, "Maybe they need more paperwork?" Since arriving to the United States from Mexico in 1998, she has never missed an immigration check-in, and she was approved for an I-130 – a "petition for alien relative" – in 2023. When she arrived, however, she was detained. Even though she has applied and been approved for a "stay for deportation" every year since she received an order for removal in 2004, ICE officials took her belongings and only gave her a few minutes to call her husband to tell him what was happening. "That's when our nightmare has started," said her daughter, 31-year-old Vanessa Isidro-Gonzalez. Requests for comment are pending with an ICE spokesperson. "Every time she would go to an appointment, she would pray about it. But ... we're humans, we have flesh, we have bones, we have feelings. We were scared. Probably in our hearts and our minds, we knew this was going to happen," Isidro-Gonzalez told the USA TODAY Network – Florida. Over the week after she was detained, Isidro was transferred to Orlando and then to Broward Detention Center in Pompano Beach, where she called her daughter crying. Law enforcement shackled her – ankles to hips, and hips to wrist – and she spent the night in a bus with other detainees. When they would ask for air conditioning, law enforcement would blast cold air until it was freezing, Isidro-Gonzales said. When the detainees said it was too cold, law enforcement would then crank up the heat. "Her feet hurt, her ankles hurt, her wrists, her hips were hurting, and they were bruised from where (the immigration officers) have been pulling on them. She has not been receiving any medication. She only received it one time, and it was insulin, something that she's never done before," Isidro-Gonzalez said. Her mother said when she asked for a translator, a law enforcement officer told her, "You should know English by now." Isidro is now being transferred to Texas, where many detainees go to be seen by a judge and then booked on a flight for removal. Immigration lawyers generally say it's because judges in the Lone Star State are known to be "tougher," and it's closer to the U.S.-Mexico border. It also makes it harder for legal counsel, who have to refile paperwork every time a detainee gets moved to another federal jurisdiction. As previously reported, federal agents executing President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans have quickly escalated their efforts. In May, officers began to detain immigrants while they were leaving mandatory court appearances, as the White House gave ICE agents new powers to detain and deport people when they show up for those court hearings as long as they arrived in the United States within the past two years. Isidro, however, has been in the U.S. for almost 30 years. She and her husband came to the United States after doctors in Mexico said they couldn't treat their oldest daughter's medical condition and told her one of the best hospitals was in Houston, Texas. "Mom has always told us, 'Whatever happens ... we have to be together, and we have to be united,' " Isidro-Gonzalez said. "She is the glue to our family. She's the one who does everything, and we just feel defeated." There are several sets of ICE detention standards, but all require detainees receive "routine and preventive care, specialty care, emergency care, and hospitalization, as medically indicated," according to a 2024 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entitled "Medical Care Standards in Immigrant Detention Facilities." All facilities that house ICE detainees are required to have some type of onsite health care clinic for exams and routine conditions. But according to the CRS report, this can vary from facility to facility. "The conditions of her treatment have been horrific and traumatic for her and her family and those who live her," said Logan Hurst, a friend of the family. Hurst, who calls Isidro "Nana Maria," has known her for five years. She said news of her detention has been an "eye-opening shockwave" to the Live Oak community, the county seat in rural Suwannee County. Isidro, a nanny and the wife of a preacher, has taken care of Hurst's daughter since she was 8 weeks old. She and other community members have started a campaign, "Bring Nana Maria Home!" They are urging people to call Florida's elected officials and advocate for Isidro's immediate release. Requests for comment have been made to state lawmakers who represent her area. "Knowing that someone who loves and cares about people so much is being treated like not even a criminal, but an animal, is hard to fathom," Hurst said. Jo Isidro, Maria's son, learned his mother was on her way to Texas on his birthday, June 11. He turned 23. "When a mother like mine can be taken after doing everything right, really we should all be asking, what are we allowing? And who will be next?" he said in a statement. "Let my mother's story be more than just a moment of sympathy," he said. "Let it be a wake up call." Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Live Oak woman shackled, denied meds after ICE check-in, family says
Newsweek
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Man Who Came to US as Toddler and Is Married to US Citizen Detained by ICE
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Martin Diaz, who came to the United States as a toddler and is married to a U.S. citizen was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Spokane, Washington, earlier this week, days after the couple received a notice requesting his visa application following approval of their I-130 petition, according to his wife's social media post. Newsweek has reached out to his wife, Kendall Diaz, via Facebook on Saturday. Newsweek has also reached out to ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for comment via email on Saturday. Why It Matters Diaz's detention comes amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with all kinds of immigration statuses, including those with valid documentation, such as green cards or visas, have been detained and face legal jeopardy. Many have been detained at their visa appointments after receiving official notices to appear. President Donald Trump vowed to prevent undocumented immigrants with criminal histories or backgrounds from entering and staying in the U.S. He has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and has detained and deported thousands of people since retaking office. Inset: Martin Diaz from a GoFundMe page raising money for his legal fees, is seen. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Baltimore Field Officer is seen on January 27 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Inset: Martin Diaz from a GoFundMe page raising money for his legal fees, is seen. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Baltimore Field Officer is seen on January 27 in Silver Spring, Maryland. AP Photo/Alex Brandon, GoFundMe What To Know On Tuesday, April 29, Diaz was en route to work when he noticed he was being followed. He returned home, and after exiting his vehicle, was chased, tackled and arrested by immigration officers, local news outlet KUOW reported. His wife shared videos of the encounter outside their residence on Facebook showing three men following Diaz as he runs back to his property, tackling him, and taking him away. "You're under arrest," one of the men can be heard saying as they straddle him on the ground. In the footage, which appears to be taken from the property camera and possibly his roommate's phone, Diaz's roommate can be seen and heard confronting the agents, reminding them they were on private property. Kendall confirmed to KUOW that she was not home at the time of her husband's arrest, but Diaz's roommate was. She watched the videos, one from her residence's Ring camera, when she returned home. In a second video, one officer tells the roommate, "Do not interfere with us right now," and later adds, "He's under arrest," adding he has an "Order of deportation, he's going." The roommate, who is audibly upset, uses explicit language throughout the exchange. He repeatedly asks for information about Diaz and the agents, including, "What's your badge number?" and their names. One officer responds that it's "none of your business" and that the matter "doesn't concern" him. The couple have been married for over six years and have been working to get Diaz permanent legal status. Diaz, a Mexican native, has been living in the country since he was just over 1-and-a-half years old. "Last year we filed our I-130 through our marriage and it was accepted. We received a letter in the mail last week requesting his application for his visa," Kendall said in her Facebook post. I-130 forms are filed by U.S. citizens on behalf of their spouse or relative to get a green card. Diaz pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in 2017 following an altercation with his former father-in-law, local media outlet KXLY reported. He previously had an assault charge from 2008. "There are rapists and murderers on the street who are free and they're U.S. citizens, and they have more rights than my husband who doesn't harm anyone," Kendall told KXLY. What People Are Saying Kendall Diaz said in her Tuesday Facebook post: "Our families are grieving. We are scared. And I am furious for the animalistic treatment that is being condoned in this country right now, and especially to my husband." President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on April 17: "Under Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's leadership, [Homeland Security Advisory Council] HSAC will work hard on developing new Policies and Strategies that will help us secure our Border, deport Illegal Criminal Thugs, stop the flow of Fentanyl and other illegal drugs that are killing our Citizens, and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has repeatedly maintained the administration's stance, saying: "If you are an individual, a foreign national, who illegally enters the United States of America, you are, by definition, a criminal. And so, therefore, you are subject to deportation." Shandra Kearney, a friend of the couple who is organizing the GoFundMe for Diaz's legal fees wrote in the online fundraiser: "Our families are grieving. We are scared. We are asking for help in paying for the lawyer costs, to put money on his books, and hopefully not but realistically paying for his daily living in Mexico. We need our community's help right now." What Happens Next? As of Saturday morning, Diaz is still booked at Kootenai County Jail according to their records. He was booked there at 9:19 p.m. after being arrested at 8:45 a.m. on April 29. His wife says she believes he will be bused to Tacoma, Washington, where the Northwest ICE Processing Center is located. Newsweek has reached out to the Kootenai County Jail for comment via email on Saturday. Newsweek was unable to confirm Diaz in the ICE database. Friends of the family created a GoFundMe to raise money for his legal fees. Kendall Diaz told local news outlets they have retained a lawyer.
