On the morning of January 20th at 7:07 a.m. in South Portland, Maine, my husband was taken by ICE while picking up a day laborer at the shelter on his way to work. I was on a video call with him and watched it happen. I immediately started calling law officials and towing agencies to help retrieve the vehicle, but my husband was denied the chance to send his location or speak to me and local law enforcement was not told of ICE activity. His work truck, a 2018 Ford F250 with a giant red G on the back window, was left abandoned and not where he was detained despite MANY inquiries. When we finally located it days later, everything of value inside had been stolen—his keys, legal papers file, personal belongings, work tools, and money. The window was further cracked his roll cover broken along with signs of tamper, it took a lot of effort and resources to recover the truck and days later replace the key. We have also had to support him while detained, locating, providing funds for calls. For days, we didn’t know where my husband was. I found the truck by calling and requesting to file a stolen vehicle. They had immediately removed him from the state to Plymouth Massachusetts.

My husband did not want to enter the country illegally, but he was facing fear for his life and harm, and was driven by the need to reach his daughter. He came here before 2021 with one backpack and spoke no English, motivated by survival and love for his child. He admits he entered the country the wrong way, but afterward, he complied with the legal process, received parole under asylum protections, married , learned English, (his wife and family here speak only English) he worked, paid taxes, and followed every instruction he was given. We have spent years actively working with USCIS to keep everything legal and updated—filing forms, responding to evidence requests, updating addresses, and doing exactly what we were told while waiting through delays. He has never been ordered to return to Brazil, and there are no warrants. Despite retaining legal counsel and having court filings in progress, my husband was moved from Massachusetts without notice, and we were repeatedly given false information about his location—even after a court order was issued. It still lists him in a center he is not in. We finally now trying have located him again. He is in inhumane conditions and still has not been given access to his lawyer. This is not about politics. This is about due process, fair treatment, and humanity.

Why We Need Help: We have already retained an immigration lawyer, but the total legal cost is expected to be much more than the initial retainer. My husband is the main provider for our family, which includes myself, two step-sons, and a daughter who depend on him emotionally and financially. His sudden detention has left us without our primary income while legal and emergency costs continue to grow. I have not been able to work and my health has been effected.

How Your Support Helps: Funds raised will go toward ongoing legal fees, ,recovery expenses related to his truck and stolen tools, supporting our family while he is detained rent , food, phone, and transportation, filing fees, and required documentation. Now, our family—which includes even older children, a grandchild, in laws , —is struggling to cope with his absence and supporting , the emotional aspect and the financial burden of legal fees, lost property, and daily expenses his wife and minor children are in need of.

We are doing everything we can to bring him home and keep our family together.

If you are able to donate, we are profoundly grateful. If you cannot, sharing this fundraiser or keeping us in your prayers means more than words can express.

My husband is a loving father, a devoted husband, and a man who has spent his life protecting others. He believes in doing the right thing—and so do we.