A U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot from Texas is facing a challenging battle to secure the release of his Venezuelan wife from immigration detention, a struggle that has persisted for over six weeks.
Chris Busby, aged 28, and his wife, Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, 25, visited an Austin courthouse on December 3 to obtain their marriage certificate.
Merely two days after their visit to the courthouse, Velasquez attended a routine check-in at a Houston ICE office. This yearly obligation, linked to her asylum status, has been a consistent part of her life since her arrival in the U.S. in 2021, according to Busby.
Typically, these asylum-related meetings are annual, but Velasquez was called in for a second appointment within just four months.
Busby shared with the Daily Mail that Velasquez had previously attended a check-in in September, which lasted about 30 minutes without any complications.
However, during her subsequent check-in three months later, she was unexpectedly detained. Held until 2 a.m., she was then transferred to an ICE detention center, where she has remained for the last 44 days.
Busby told the Daily Mail that before the check-in, he was less nervous than his wife because of the prior check-ins, though they both knew there was a possibility she would be detained due to ICE’s aggressive enforcement tactics over the past year.
He also had a measure of trust in the government, having served in the Army for 11 years after joining when he was 17. Now, Busby said, he feels betrayed.
Velasquez is one of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants who have arrived in the US over the past few years. The Trump administration successfully revoked Biden-era Temporary Protected Status from Venezuelan immigrants in October
Velasquez got married to Chris Busby, 28, an Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot who has been desperately trying to free her from ICE detention for the past month and a half
‘I really can’t feel betrayed by ICE. I’ve never worked for them, but I have worked for the military,’ he said.
‘I know we have things in place to help us, and I feel like there’s some people in the military who are choosing not to press that button to help.’
Busby also said that through his service, he has seen what the US is capable of when acting positively, but the Trump administration and its supporters are ‘really biased’ and ‘they have no compassion for brown people who come to this country.’
After nearly a month of trying to free his wife, Busby posted a video to his Facebook account discussing the ordeal and trying to draw public attention to his plight.
In the video, he says: ‘This year they decided to detain her, although she’s here on a legal status, has no criminal history and is currently in the process – legally since 2021 – of trying to get her citizenship.’
Busby added that he hired ‘the best lawyer’ to help in the case. The lawyer set up a hearing to have Velasquez released on bond while her case progresses, but the judge ruled that he did not have jurisdiction.
‘Judges aren’t even in control anymore,’ he said in the video.
Busby described his wife as ‘the nicest person ever,’ and emphasized that she ‘has never done anything illegal.’
Busby said that despite being in the Army for 11 years, he has been treated badly by staff at the detention center whenever he goes to visit his wife
Velasquez has never committed a crime, her husband said. That would make her one of 24,644 people in ICE detention who have no criminal record
According to the most recent data released by ICE, just 29 percent of people currently detained by the agency have prior criminal convictions. An additional 28 percent have pending criminal charges, and the remaining have no criminal history.
Over the past year, there has been a 2,500 percent surge in the agency’s non-criminal detainees, which stood at 945 on January 26, 2025.
As of January 7, 2026, 24,644 people without criminal history are being held by ICE in detention facilities.
Velasquez is among that group, according to her husband, who said the conditions at the detention center where she is being held are ‘horrible’ and that he is only allowed to visit once per week.
There is ‘barely edible food, it’s freezing cold and the clothes they get barely protect them,’ Busby said in his video.
‘Even though everyone is getting sick, no one in there cares. I went to go visit her a couple times, and although I’ve been in the Army for 11 years, the way they treated me and other visitors was straight disrespectful.
‘I can’t honestly imagine how she’s truly being treated,’ the husband said.
Busby also told the Daily Mail that his wife is barely able to sleep because of the freezing temperatures at the detention center, and meals take place at unusual hours.
Busby has been making posts on social media trying to draw public attention to his efforts to get his wife released
Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, 25, was detained by ICE during a routine asylum check-in, just two days after getting her marriage certificate to a Texas man
Breakfast, he said, is scheduled at 4am, then lunch at 10am and dinner at 4pm. He added that despite the food being borderline inedible, people held in detention are only allowed a limited amount of food from the commissary.
Busby said his wife had dreams of becoming a real estate agent and was studying hard to make that happen.
He also said that she had a test for her realtor license scheduled for the Monday after ICE detained her, but now if she is released, she will likely have to start the process over again.
In a second Facebook video, Busby said that he knew he wanted to marry Velasquez after their first date.
He explained that the two had gotten married secretly and were planning on having a wedding party after saving up money, as he has been investing anything he makes back into his new window tinting company.
Velasquez is one of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have arrived in the US over the past few years, as they fled political and economic instability in their home country.
Many of those immigrants were given Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2023 under the Biden administration, but that was effectively revoked in October by the Supreme Court.
In a 6-3 decision that matched the justices’ party-affiliation, the nation’s highest court granted an emergency request filed by the Trump administration, which sought to block a judge’s ruling that said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failed to follow the correct process in revoking TPS from Venezuelans.
Busby said his wife ‘did absolutely nothing wrong, besides wanting to live in a country where she thought there was freedom for all’
Busby told the Daily Mail that he has tried several avenues to get his wife released from custody.
Other than the attempted bond hearing, which was denied, he has filed for the military’s Parole in Place program, which provides legal protections to spouses without citizenship.
He also tried a habeas corpus hearing, which forced the government to prove it had lawful grounds for imprisonment.
Busby said that during that hearing, the prosecuting attorney admitted he had not reviewed Vasquez’s file and deemed her a ‘flight risk’ solely based on the fact that she had been married for less than a month. He has appealed that ruling.
In the caption of his Facebook video, Busby wrote: ‘Honestly, I’ve cried everyday since she’s been in there because no matter how much money or how strong I am, there’s literally nothing I or anyone else can do.
‘This whole process has been devastating to us and all of our entire family. If you’re religious, please pray for Stephanie and hope that we can get her home.
‘She did absolutely nothing wrong, besides wanting to live in a country where she thought there was freedom for all.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to ICE for comment.
