ICE arrests at green card appointments go against USCIS policy
A U.S. citizen woman was left distraught after officers came into her husband's green card interview, handcuffed him and took him away.
Written by Kate Morrissey, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp
When Mira and Niv met last year to walk around La Mesa on their first date after connecting on Bumble, Mira soon knew she had fallen in love.
She noticed how his face lit up when he talked about calculus and economics, and she loved how he was almost always smiling.
“He’s the most kind, gentle and intelligent man I've ever met in my life,” Mira said.
Later last year, they got married and began the process for Niv, who is a dual citizen of Israel and Germany, to adjust his status to resident.
But Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers came in toward the end of their interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building this week, complicating the couple's future together — at least in the United States. They are among many families struggling to navigate the detention of a loved one after going to green card appointments in San Diego since arrests began there last week.
“We were aware that it was a possibility, but we didn't think that it would happen to us,” Mira said. “We've been trying to do everything the right way.”
The Department of Homeland Security, ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
Niv had recently come to the U.S. to visit family when he and Mira met in March 2024, Mira said. He entered through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization that allows people in countries that are part of the United States’ visa waiver program to enter and visit as tourists.
Mira said they soon began building their life and future, making time for coffee together before she went to work in the mornings, cooking together in the evenings and frequently discussing how they wanted to raise their children.
They had a small wedding in October 2024 and filed their paperwork for his green card around the Fourth of July, Mira said. As their interview date approached, they felt nervous, she said, but they did their best to distract themselves and to prepare every possible document they might need to show.
The night before their appointment, Niv made Mira her favorite dish of his — shakshuka — the same one that he made the first time he cooked for her.
Normally, someone who is admitted to the U.S. like Niv and who marries a U.S. citizen can get a green card through their spouse. Time overstayed on the person's visa is typically forgiven if they are the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has a policy going back to 2013 that it won't turn over people to ICE before evaluating their qualifications for a green card if they've entered through the visa waiver program unless they have committed serious crimes or ICE has already issued a deportation order. If the agency adjudicates the application and grants the green card, there is no need for ICE to get involved.
Mira said the interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer felt normal until the end when Niv's attorney Michelle Celleri of Alliance San Diego asked if they had anything to worry about. The officer indicated that they did, and Celleri reminded the officer of the agency policy.
As the officer called for a supervisor to discuss the issue, two ICE officers entered and handcuffed Niv. They insisted that Mira and Celleri leave the room.
Mira said that Niv whispered, “I love you,” to her before officers separated them. She told him she loved him.
The rest of the day, she anxiously waited for a phone call from Niv. When a call finally came from a detention center system — in the middle of her interview with Daylight — she pushed 1 to accept the call.
“Thank you for using Legacy Long Distance,” the phone system voice crackled.
“My love? Hi?” Mira said anxiously into the phone.
Niv's voice came through with the word “Hi” and then the phone system voice immediately came back to ask for Mira's credit card information to pay for more time before the call could proceed. She scrambled to enter the information, and after Niv said his name, the call disconnected.
“I just want him home,” she said. “That is my priority now is making sure that he's home.”
Celleri is working to figure out the best strategy to get Niv released from custody.
Mira said that when she thinks about the fact that her own country did this to her and the person she loves, it breaks her heart.
“All we want to do is build a family and help make this country as great and wonderful as we possibly can,” Mira said. “We love this country. I just want this country to love us too.”
