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Pulled Back to Louisiana
Maisa Lopes Eliaser, 32, was removed from a deportation flight to Brazil after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers received a phone call mid-flight and asked whether she wanted to continue to Brazil or return to the U.S., her husband said.
“ICE officers received a phone call while the plane was in the air”
Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo, 43, told the Associated Press, "But someone made the phone call, and then she came back," and Eliaser stayed on board while other detainees were led off in Brazil.
Eliaser had been held in federal immigration custody since July after an immigration judge issued a final order of removal in April, and the judge said she had overstayed her tourist visa from when she came to the U.S. in 2019.
After the flight, Eliaser was flown back to Louisiana, and ICE officers told her she was "famous" because videos about her case had circulated publicly.
Jaramillo took leave from his duties training soldiers at Fort Polk, La., to care for their 5-year-old son after Eliaser was detained on July 8, and Eliaser said, "It felt like I was in a nightmare."
Investigation and Political Pressure
Following the Associated Press reporting, a group of Congressional Democrats launched an investigation into deportations of military service members and their families, and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona directly contacted the ICE field office involved in Eliaser’s detention, according to his spokesperson.
In a statement to the AP, Kelly said the policy of detaining military family members is "wrong and makes no sense at all," and he argued, "Going after military families instead of real criminals doesn’t solve anything."
Danitza James, who heads Repatriate Our Patriots, told the AP at a news conference, "This family’s reunion is proof of what’s possible when people set politics aside and do right by those who serve."
James said, "We won’t stop until every military family facing detention gets the same chance at justice," as Eliaser remained concerned about whether she could be sent back to detention.
Eliaser said she is still struggling to sleep and is afraid she will be sent back to the detention facility, where she said she was treated like "an animal."
Next Steps and What’s at Risk
Eliaser has another appointment scheduled for Monday in an effort to reopen her case and advance her green card application, and Jaramillo said he has been told there will be no further issues with her case while the couple remains concerned.
“has another appointment scheduled for Monday in an effort to reopen her case”
Jaramillo told the AP, "We are really, really, really scared about it, but you know, we have to go," and he said he told the person who gave him the appointment, "Hey sir, don’t play with me, I’ve been through a lot."
In Louisiana, a separate report described Jaramillo saying, "I don’t feel right. I feel betrayed by how all of this has been handled," after immigration authorities detained his wife for more than a month.
That account said Jaramillo’s wife had been detained after what they believed would be a routine immigration interview, and it quoted immigration attorney Michael Gahagan explaining that missing a biometrics appointment can lead to an administrative detention order.
Jaramillo said, "That’s my nightmare right now. What’s going to happen to the Army? There’s a lot at stake," and he said he has asked lawmakers to intervene and that his attorney has filed a motion with an immigration judge to reopen the case.