Just minutes after his pathway to legal residency was approved at a USCIS appointment in Miami, a Honduran immigrant was unexpectedly detained by ICE agents — despite his clean record, stable job, and marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Josué Aguilar Valle, 26, arrived in the U.S. at age 14 after fleeing gang violence in Honduras. He built a life in South Florida, graduating high school, working full-time, and starting a family with his wife, Jessica Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, WLRN reported.
His application for legal status, based on his marriage and long-term residence, culminated in an I-130 interview with USCIS on April 9, 2024, which he attended with Rodriguez and their 2-year-old son.
During the appointment, the couple received good news: Aguilar's marriage-based immigration petition had been approved, paving the way toward lawful permanent residency. But moments later, USCIS officers separated Rodriguez and their son from Aguilar, and he was taken into custody by ICE due to a dormant 2018 deportation order issued when he sought asylum as a teenager.
Despite his clean background, ICE transferred him first to Krome Detention Center, then to Broward Transitional Center.
Aguilar's attorney, Valerie Crespo, filed a stay of removal to prevent his deportation and allow him to continue the legal process. If denied, Aguilar faces near-certain deportation to Honduras, with slim odds of returning.
If approved, he could pursue legal status either by adjusting his status domestically or through consular processing abroad. Meanwhile, Rodriguez waits at home with their son, uncertain whether her husband will be allowed to stay.
Originally published on Latin Times
