ICE kept Venezuelan woman detained after an immigration judge dismissed her removal case, despite her marriage to a U.S. citizen
On April 20, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement kept Gabriela Sousa, a Venezuelan woman who entered the United States legally on humanitarian parole in 2023, detained at an immigration facility in the Jacksonville, Florida area after an immigration judge dismissed her removal case. ICE held her while the government weighed whether to use its 30-day window to appeal the dismissal, even though she is married to U.S. citizen Brandon Garrison and had a spousal petition pending since November 2025. She had been held for roughly six months following an October 2025 domestic-dispute arrest that produced no criminal charges.
Actors
On April 20, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to detain Gabriela Sousa at an immigration facility in the Jacksonville, Florida area after an immigration judge dismissed her removal case, keeping her in custody while federal authorities weighed whether to use their 30-day window to appeal the dismissal. Sousa, a Venezuelan national, had entered the United States legally through the federal humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans in 2023 and married Brandon Garrison, a U.S. citizen, in April 2025; the couple had a spousal petition pending since November 2025.
Sousa had been held for roughly six months. Her detention began after an October 2025 domestic-dispute call led to her arrest, alongside Garrison, by police in the Hollywood, Florida area; no criminal charges were filed and Garrison was released, but Sousa was transferred to ICE custody and moved among facilities, ending up held without a bond hearing. Her attorneys challenged the detention in federal court, arguing ICE had misclassified her in a way that stripped her of the right to appear before a judge.
Updates
2026-04-28 — Sousa released from ICE custody after case dismissal [3]
By April 28, 2026, Sousa had been released from ICE custody and returned home to South Florida following the dismissal of her removal case. Her attorney cautioned that further complications could still arise in her immigration process.
Why we recorded this
Due process requires that the government hold a person only on a lawful, current basis and give them a meaningful hearing to contest that detention. After an immigration judge dismissed Gabriela Sousa's removal case, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to detain her rather than release her, holding her without a bond hearing while it weighed whether to appeal. This archive records when immigration enforcement extends custody past the point of clear legal authority and withholds the procedural review that detained people are owed.
Sources
- Venezuelan woman married to U.S. citizen remains in ICE custody despite case dismissal — CBS News Miami primary accessed July 16, 2026
- Supporters say Venezuelan woman married to US citizen has been held in ICE detention for 6 months without bond hearing — News4JAX (WJXT) investigative accessed July 16, 2026
- South Florida woman from Venezuela back home after 6 months in ICE custody — CBS News Miami primary accessed July 16, 2026
See also
- State Dept revokes Iranian asylees' green cards on debunked Soleimani-relation claim
- ICE detained U-visa crime-victim Kevin Ramirez Mancia for four months despite approved work permit and deferred action
- ICE deported Brian Morales Garcia, who says he is a U.S. citizen, to Mexico after a Texas traffic stop
- ICE detained the wife of an active-duty Army sergeant at an El Paso immigration appointment as military-family leniency ended
- ICE detained mother, two children at Texas school bus stop after acknowledging mistaken identity
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