I’m raising funds to help bring my husband home after he was unexpectedly taken into ICE custody during a routine check-in and to support us after we both had to go to Guatemala.

My husband fled violent persecution in Guatemala for being LGBTQ. He followed every rule: he applied for asylum, passed the background check, obtained a work permit, paid taxes, updated ICE & the Asylum Court with his details, and completed every required check-in — including the phone check-in he completed last month.

But without warning, ICE called and told him he had to come in person for an additional check-in as this was our first time using this office after we were married and moved. When we arrived, I watched officers handcuff not only my husband but several others who were there for their scheduled check-ins. No one would tell me why he was being detained.

My husband is the kindest, most gentle person I’ve ever known. Being separated from him has been devastating, and all I want is to have him home and safe with our family again.

Edit: The government moved up my husbands asylum hearing. At the Master Hearing (Initial Hearing where the judge sets the deadline for evidence to be turned in by and he sets the date for the actual asylum claim to be heard), the judge denied our petition to release my husband pending his green card through marriage application. This has been the standard practice for decades, but now the government is creating policies out of thin air and not adhering to the law. If they were following existing immigration law, my husband would have been released as we continue the process of getting his green card through marriage. During this time, the Asylum case is "Paused" and then canceled once the marriage process is completed.

At the master hearing, the government requested to cancel my husbands asylum claim, citing that he should apply in a third country first. My husband was in this country under her pending asylum claim prior to this new policy was created by the current administration and this should not have applied to him. The government did not request this in writing through the court as they are supposed to do so that our attorney is able to prepare and present a defense. The government did not confirm with a third country that one was willing to accept him and protect him and even allow him to request asylum. The government is not even following their own policies they have created. The judge cancelled my husbands asylum claim in the US and told him that he can either go back to his home country where he was nearly murdered, OR he will be sent to Honduras if he wants to continue to claim asylum. Honduras is a very violent country, has no protections for LGBT people and even the government says that people should not travel to that country, yet that is where they wanted to send my husband.

Because my husband is in the country legally, we are eligible for a reentry waiver once he has his green card. This takes about 3 years. We have opted for my husband to return to his home country. Unfortunately, the part of Guatemala my husband is from is dangerous. There is a safe location in Guatemala, but it is expensive.

The judge told us that my husband has to be out of the country by march 9. When a person opts for Voluntary Deportation, they are generally given 60 -120 days to get everything in order and leave the country. The judge gave us 30 days to secure a passport (Which typically takes 2 - 3 months) from the Guatemalan Consulate.

Although we had a judge's order to allow us 30 days to get things in order, ICE deported my husband the very next day after the judge put in the order to allow us to secure safe housing within 30 days.

I had to quickly buy plane tickets to get to Guatemala, which was very expensive on short notice as well as pay for an Airbnb for a month to allow us time time to find a safe place to live.

Needless to say, after this endeavor, I am broke and there is so much more we need to do to ensure my husband has a safe place to live when I have to return to the US to continue getting things in order there. We are down to $20 to try to survive on.

I am asking for help to get the apartment, food and some basic necessities. This is around $2,000 US. Clothes, food, etc will be around another $1,000.

Any help — even the smallest donation — will go directly toward his expenses here in Guatemala and anything remaining will go toward paying off his legal representation.

Thank you for your kindness, compassion, and support.