ICE Detains Venezuelan-Spanish Asylum Seeker After 2 Weeks in Texas Jail
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 6
ICE Detains Venezuelan-Spanish Asylum Seeker After 2 Weeks in Texas Jail
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 6
Summary
Nearly two weeks after her July 24 airport arrest in Houston, Yasmin Suarez Reyes was still being held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas.
Suarez Reyes entered legally in October 2023 under the Visa Waiver Program and filed for asylum in January 2024 before her 90-day stay lapsed, but ICE correspondence said her expired underlying status made her subject to deportation.
Her lawyer said the 45-year-old had a pending asylum case, a work permit and a Texas driver's license, and argued she was arrested despite following available legal immigration channels.
John Gannon, her 75-year-old fiancé and a lifelong Republican who voted for Trump, said the detention derailed their marriage plans and made him regret his vote.
The case fits a broader Trump administration crackdown in which airport arrests helped push ICE detentions to a record monthly high last month, including immigrants with pending cases or valid work permits.