Mom in US for 22 Years Detained by ICE Despite Ongoing Visa Application
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A Georgia mother of three who has lived in the United States for more than two decades was taken into custody by federal agents on April 13, just a few blocks from her family's home.
"She was a major part of our family, she did a lot for all of us, and it feels like our world has been thrown off its axle," Guillermo Chavarria, 25, the oldest son of Jessica Flores Marin, 44, told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email.
Jessica Flores Marin was taken into custody by federal agents on April 13, 2025, just a few blocks from her family's home.
Jessica Flores Marin was taken into custody by federal agents on April 13, 2025, just a few blocks from her family's home.
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Two patrol cars had been positioned outside, one on each side of the street just a few houses away. Chavarria's younger brother, Austin, was stopped by officers as he headed to work. Without his wallet, he was immediately questioned about the whereabouts of his driver's license. Agents eventually left his brother go, according to the family.
Their mother, concerned for Austin, woke up Chavarria to deliver his wallet. After picking up his mother outside, Chavarria said agents boxed in his car, ordered him to step aside, and removed Flores Marin from the vehicle.
When ICE agents surrounded the car, they quickly positioned themselves nearby and began questioning Jessica, asking for her name and origin. Chavarria was told to turn off the car and place the keys on the roof. After Jessica identified herself but stopped responding, the agents became more "aggressive" and eventually removed her from the vehicle. The agents wore plain clothes with green vests, later changing into official uniforms at a nearby service station after stopping for gas.
"I called my dad and informed him of what had occurred, and ever since then we've been fighting to bring her back home," Chavarria said.
Jessica remains in ICE custody at Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the U.S. It is operated by the private prison company CoreCivic.
The arrest comes amid a crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump's administration. Trump has vowed to remove millions of immigrants without legal status as part of a hardline mass deportation policy.
Flores Marin entered the U.S. with Guillermo in 2003 through Texas. While Guillermo qualified for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which granted him temporary protection from deportation, his mother remained undocumented. Despite this, she built a life in the U.S., paying taxes and eventually buying the family's first home in 2014.
In December, she began the application process for a T visa, which protects victims of certain crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. Her unexpected detention occurred while the family was gathering paperwork for her case.
Flores Marin's efforts to stay in the U.S. faced a setback when an immigration judge denied her motion to reopen a decades-old deportation order. The court ruled that she failed to appear at a 2004 hearing and was responsible for not updating her address, despite claiming she never received the notice. The judge also found that she waited too long—more than 20 years—to file and did not show extraordinary circumstances for the delay.
Although the court acknowledged her deep ties to the U.S., including two U.S. citizen children, it ruled these did not qualify as "exceptional circumstances" under immigration law.
Her legal team has since filed an emergency stay of removal and a formal appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). The stay, filed May 21, aims to prevent her deportation while the BIA reviews her case. A decision on the stay is expected sooner than the full appeal, which is pending.
The devasting toll on the family has been overwhelming. Jessica missed her daughter's soccer season and banquet, her son's high school graduation and her husband's birthday—just days after she was detained. She spent her birthday in ICE custody.
"Our family is very emotional, it's a roller coaster of emotions," Chavarria said. "Some days are filled with sadness, some days with anger, and other days we do OK. It's been weird having someone so important in our lives not be around and have limited communications with them."
Flores Marin has run her own housecleaning business for more than a decade. She's also a longtime congregant at La Cosecha 3 Church in Atlanta, where she has served in ministry and children's programs for more than 15 years.
The community has rallied behind her. Friends, clients and fellow church members have reached out to support the family, offering help and advocating for her release.
Chavarria says he is clinging to hope and leaning on his faith as his family continues to fight for her return.
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