Couple Unexpectedly Forced to Marry Months Early, in a Detention Center, with Deportation Looming

In early May, Angie Figueroa and Ganesh Oduko visited a jewelry store in New Jersey to try on wedding bands, taking the next step in their two-year relationship as they planned an intimate ceremony later this year.

But on Aug. 13, their wedding unfolded in unexpected circumstances: they exchanged vows in a chapel at the detention center in Newark, N.J., where Oduko has been held since June, with their attorney and another member of his firm serving as witnesses.

Figueroa wore a sage dress from Charlotte Russe that met the detention center’s dress code, while Oduko, who had lost significant weight during his detainment, wore the standard dark blue detainee uniform. The attire differed sharply from the “clean and classic” black tuxedo Figueroa had imagined for him.

The roughly 15-minute ceremony included traditional vows. They were allowed to hold hands and kiss, but no photos were permitted. Despite anticipating tears, neither of them cried.

Their original plans were disrupted in June, when Oduko was detained by a Homeland Security Investigations agent in Bloomfield, N.J., as he left his apartment for work.

Oduko, 25, arrived in the U.S. from Ghana in January 2022 on a student visa. He later withdrew from school to work and save money to return home, according to Figueroa, his attorney, and a religious sister whose volunteer farm program he joined two years ago. He was arrested on June 13 for violating visa terms after falling out of status.

Federal authorities have increased enforcement of immigration laws following President Trump’s platform, though some detentions and deportations have sparked controversy.

Oduko and Figueroa hoped that marrying quickly, along with Oduko’s clean criminal record, could improve his chances of remaining in the U.S. He was granted bond earlier this week, with his attorney anticipating his release soon.

“Any young person, even someone who remembers their wedding day, will definitely bristle at something like that, but that’s what’s necessary to hopefully get him out of there,” says Gina Fleming, 73, of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville, N.Y., where Oduko had volunteered.

Figueroa says she leans on her Christian faith to avoid dwelling on the possibility of Oduko’s deportation.

Oduko attended Caldwell University in Caldwell, N.J., studying biology until 2023. He interned at the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville’s Homecoming Farm on Long Island, learning organic farming practices he hoped to teach in Ghana. Fleming and about two dozen other sisters wrote letters of support, which Oduko’s attorney included in his bond redetermination request.

In her letter, Fleming described Oduko as performing “very demanding work” “with a smile each day,” noting his manners and commitment. She recalls one instance when Oduko visited a sister in her room before leaving, demonstrating his thoughtfulness.

The sisters, dedicated to supporting marginalized communities, said they wanted to vouch for Oduko’s character regardless of politics. “It doesn’t matter what your politics are. These are human beings, for God’s sakes,” Fleming says. “Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity. This is not dignified.”

A Relationship Interrupted

Oduko and Figueroa met through mutual friends and have been together since their first date. On the morning of his arrest, Figueroa was on the phone with him as he headed to work at a bakery. She heard authorities instruct him to put his hands behind his back before the call ended. He called back minutes later to tell her he had been detained.

Figueroa, who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and works as an applied behavior analysis therapist, immediately informed Oduko’s brother in Ghana, Shiva, while initially sparing their mother from the news. They soon hired immigration attorney Alexander Mena to handle both his detention and deportation cases.

“This is not normal, what is happening,” Mena says. “It all has basically been a steady ratcheting up since January.”

Mena notes that Oduko was likely not the person federal authorities were seeking during his arrest. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.) A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, “President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S.”

Under previous administrations, Oduko likely would not have been detained because he has no criminal record. Instead, the process now favors detention over supervision for people in similar situations.

When someone with ongoing immigration proceedings marries, authorities scrutinize the authenticity of the union to ensure it is not solely for immigration purposes. Mena says factors that may work in Oduko’s favor include his years in the U.S., clean record, internship with the religious sisters, their letters of support, and his marriage to a U.S. citizen.

Still, Mena warns there are no guarantees. “This is just deeply reflective of an unjust system, in my view,” he says, “and forcing people to make these kinds of decisions.”

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