Venezuelan mother in NJ struggles after ICE deports husband to Mexico
NEW JERSEY (PIX11) — A mom from Venezuela, currently living in Somerset, NJ, is trying to figure out what comes next after ICE deported her husband.
Karolyn, whose name is being changed to protect her privacy, entered the United States with her two children on January 17th with refugee status.
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Her husband was already in the country seeking asylum and received permission from ICE to travel to New Jersey to reunite with them. But when he checked in with ICE agents in New Jersey, he was detained.
Just days ago, Karolyn learned he had been deported to Mexico.
'He was dropped off on the border between Guatemala and Mexico and handed a document that basically said he can't return to the United States,' said Jamie DiNicola, the family's immigration attorney. 'He said he's in a very dangerous part of Mexico, and he's trying to figure out what to do from here.'
'With immigration law, there's such a high degree of discretion that's used, and I don't know how that discretion is going to be wielded,' Said DiNicola. 'Now, I feel like it's wielded for simple cruelty.'
Karolyn is stuck facing an impossible choice. She can try to join her husband in Mexico, return to Venezuela where the family escaped political persecution, or stay in the United States and hope to eventually reunite with her husband.
Karolyn told PIX11 News through a translator that the first two options were too dangerous.
She has to make a decision about whether she wants to stay here or go to back to where I don't know,' said Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, the founder of InterfaithRISE.
Kaper-Dale said he tried lobbying local leaders to ask ICE for discretion in the case but was unsuccessful. A political source close to a high-ranking federal official told PIX11 News that once a person is detained, the legal process has begun, and lawmakers are not allowed to influence the courts.
Kaper-Dale is hoping politicians are prepared to help out in some way moving forward.
'I think that it's really important that every Congressional office be ready to respond to the requests of lawyers and community activists…because this is just the beginning,' said Kaper-Dale.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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