A Brazilian woman claims she was taken into ICE custody after being tricked by agents during an interview for a Green Card.
Barbara Marques is being held at a facility in Louisiana, almost two thousand miles away from her American citizen husband Tucker May.
Marques, 38, came to the US seven years ago and tied the knot with her husband in April.
After their wedding, the couple ensured they adhered to every requirement of the immigration process so that Marques could legitimately become a U.S. citizen.
This involved attending an appointment nearly two weeks ago at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, where they claim the officials confirmed their paperwork was satisfactory.
A green card is needed for residency in the U.S. and is necessary for most people to complete their journey to citizenship.
Marques recounts that, at the conclusion of the meeting, she was asked to follow someone down a hallway to make a copy of her passport, which she believed was a routine part of the procedure.
However, May suspects this was a tactic to separate him from his wife, who was unexpectedly detained by ICE agents after she accompanied the staff member.
‘Going home without her that night was one of the toughest experiences I’ve ever faced,’ said her distraught husband. ‘She made such an effort to look her best, thrilled to take a step towards becoming an American, and I had to face putting away the shoes they removed from her feet and handed back to me in a plastic bag.’
Barbara Marques, 38, was detained nearly two weeks ago during her Green Card interview at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
Her husband Tucker May, who married Marques in April, has been fighting to get his wife released before she is deported back to Central or South America
Marques was detained because she missed a 2019 court appearance about her status, but the couple said they had no clue about it, KCLA News reported.
Missing a court date could result in at least a misdemeanor charge and can lead to a warrant for arrest.
May said his wife, who came to the states on a tourist visa, is a documentarian with no criminal record.
He described the moment shackles were placed on Marques, and what he said ICE agents did as they took her into custody.
‘They put her in hand shackles and in leg shackles, and around the waist as well, like she’s some hardened criminal.
‘She had tears streaming down her face, and she told me one of the ICE agents pulled out his cell phone, laughing, and took a selfie,’ May recalled.
Marques was initially taken to a detention facility in Adelanto, California before being moved to one in Arizona.
In an effort to try and get his wife out, May filed court documents asking for signatures that would stop her deportation, but he claims the detention center withheld the paperwork for a week instead of processing it quickly.
Early Monday morning he was informed his wife was moved to a facility in Louisiana – where the couple fears could be the final stop before she is sent to Central or South America.
‘There is a serious clock ticking here. If my wife is sent from this country, if we cannot stop that, it very realistically could be years before she is able to rejoin me here in the United States,’ May told KTLA 5.
May said his wife, who came to the states on a tourist visa seven years ago, is a documentarian with no criminal record. He also said that ‘ICE agents pulled out his cell phone, laughing, and took a selfie’ as they placed his wife in shackles
A GoFundMe set up to help Marques has raised more than $43,000 so far
Early Monday morning May was informed his wife was moved to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana
‘This is how we treat the people who dream of becoming Americans.’
May is urgently trying to obtain an immigration attorney in Louisiana who can deliver court filings to Marques for her to sign, he said.
He said he would do it himself, but because of legal rules an attorney has to do so.
In the meantime, one of the couple’s friends started a GoFundMe page to try and raise money to go toward Marques’ legal fees.
The friends, Nikki Groton and Addison Heimann, described Marques as, ‘one of those rare people who radiates warmth and kindness in every interaction. With every person.
‘She is the kind of friend who immediately feels like family and makes everyone around her feel loved and supported,’ they added.
As of Tuesday morning, more than $43,000 had been raised to help the couple.
The Daily Mail contacted both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
