United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained director and actress Barbara Gomes Marques May during a green card appointment earlier this September, according to her husband, a U.S. citizen.
Marques was reportedly held over a missed court date in 2019, which she said she never received notice for, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to cover her legal fees. While she was detained in early September, her husband first publicly shared her case over the weekend.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, focusing on those with violent criminal records. Since returning to office in January, his administration has increased immigration enforcement. However, critics have raised concerns that individuals with misdemeanors, decades-old infractions, or no criminal records have also been caught up in heightened enforcement efforts.
What to Know
According to her husband, Tucker May, Marques was detained by ICE after a “properly scheduled” green card meeting earlier this month.
“At the end of what we were told was a successful meeting, the officer used the excuse of a broken copier to trick her into walking away from our lawyer. Once separated from her legal counsel, she was arrested,” he wrote on Instagram.
Marques was informed that her detention was related to a 2019 missed court date, though she maintains she never received notification.
Marques has been transferred from the Adelanto facility to Arizona and faces “the very real possibility of being removed from the country,” the GoFundMe states, describing her as “one of those rare people who radiates warmth and kindness in every interaction.”
The campaign had raised more than $31,000 by Monday morning. Organizers are also urging people to contact elected officials regarding her case.
May told CBS Los Angeles that Marques has no criminal record and arrived in the U.S. from Brazil on a tourist visa seven years ago. She has directed several films and documentaries, according to her IMDb profile.
Authorities plan to transfer her to a facility in Louisiana. May expressed concern that the move is intended to distance her from her legal counsel and family, making it harder for her to defend herself.
“I’m a man trying to get his wife back home, and we need someone with more power than I have to help. If we allow these types of things to happen to our most vulnerable people, it’s only a matter of time before it could happen to any of us,” he said.
What People Are Saying
In a GoFundMe update, Tucker May wrote: “Thank you everyone for helping us get eyes on this … Barbara was able to call me today. She is currently somewhere in Arizona but will be moved again soon (we are not sure where). She is being denied medical equipment needed for a chronic back issue and even ibuprofen. She and the other detainees she’s with are going 12+ hours without food. We know she is still in the U.S. but not much beyond that.”
A Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson told Newsweek: “A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused. Lawful Permanent Residents presenting at a U.S. port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be asked to provide additional documentation to be set up for an immigration hearing.”
What Happens Next
Marques’ attorney has filed a temporary restraining order to prevent her deportation, according to the GoFundMe campaign.
