Agents are arresting foreign-born spouses when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency, and charging them with visa violations that could result in deportation.
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Published Nov. 26, 2025
Updated Nov. 27, 2025, 10:30am ETThe married couples filed into a federal building in San Diego last week for green card interviews that they believed would secure their future together in the United States. Half of each pair was American. Stephen Paul came with his British wife and their 4-month-old baby. Audrey Hestmark arrived with her German husband, days before their first wedding anniversary. Jason Cordero accompanied his Mexican wife.
It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final step in the process to obtain U.S. permanent residency. Instead, as each interview with an immigration officer wrapped up, federal agents swooped in, handcuffed the foreign spouse and took him or her away.
“I had to take our baby from my crying wife’s arms,” Mr. Paul, 33, said, recalling the moment that agents said they were arresting his wife, Katie.
so it has begun
My wife was here for months while USCIS processed her green card application after our marriage. The lawyer’s advice was specifically not to leave the country, because the initial green card interview could be scheduled on short notice and cannot be moved or rescheduled. It was also that she was here safely and legally during processing of the application.
They’re going after people who’ve done everything right, just as an immigration attorney would advise.