Foreign Spouses Detained During Green Card Interviews: US Immigration Enforcement Separating Families

Foreign spouses of US citizens have been unexpectedly detained during what should have been routine green card interviews, according to US media reports. Since November 12, numerous detentions have occurred at the San Diego immigration office, with these individuals subsequently facing charges of visa violations.

The green card, officially known as the permanent residency card, provides immigrants with authorization to live and work permanently in the United States. For many newly married couples, obtaining this document represented the promise of building a life together in America.

However, the experience at the San Diego immigration office has drastically diverged from these expectations.

Those detained included citizens from various nations including Britain and Germany, and even included a new mother with a five-month-old infant. The New York Times reported that after each interview concluded, federal agents entered and handcuffed the foreign-born spouses.

"I had to take our baby from my crying wife's arms," recounted Stephen Paul, whose British wife Katie was taken into custody. "It's insane to have them rip our family apart." While Katie was transported to a detention facility, Stephen needed to request leave from his employment to care for their infant while simultaneously working to secure his wife's release.

Even spouses of military veterans faced detention, creating a sense of betrayal among those who had served their country abroad. Samuel Shasteen, who dedicated 20 years to the US Marines, expressed his dismay to NBC San Diego after his Thailand-born wife was detained. "We do everything that we can to protect and serve our country, and then they betray us by treating us like we've never done anything," he stated.

These actions align with the Trump administration's intensified enforcement against illegal immigration. The president has adopted a stringent position, now pledging to halt immigration from developing nations following a shooting incident by an Afghan individual near the White House.

A statement attributed to immigration authorities several weeks ago indicated that "all aliens" violating immigration laws may face arrest, detention, and removal regardless of nationality.

"ICE enforces immigration law against all unlawfully present aliens—criminal history is not a prerequisite for enforcement. Being unlawfully present in the United States is itself a violation of federal law," the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously stated.