The wife of a Colombian asylum-seeker held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is accusing the agency of violating his rights, denying him medical care, and trying to deport him without a court hearing.
Manuela Flórez, 28, says her husband, Juan Eduardo Pineda Noreña, 32, was taken into custody by federal immigration agents in the parking lot of his plumbing job in Summit, New Jersey, on July 15, 2025.
“I feel broken, exhausted, and desperate. Every day is a fight to save him. I’m watching the person I love suffer in silence, and I feel powerless,” Flórez told Newsweek.
“They didn’t allow him to contact anyone, didn’t explain what was happening, and treated him like a criminal—despite him having no criminal record and an active asylum case,” she added.
Newsweek has reached out to ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, for comment.
Immigration authorities have faced mounting criticism amid allegations of misconduct, placing ICE at the center of the ongoing debate over U.S. immigration policy. After President Donald Trump directed an increase in arrests as part of his pledge of mass deportations, concerns have grown over both the legality and human cost of ICE’s actions.
Pineda, who entered the U.S. in October 2022, was granted humanitarian parole, applied for asylum, and received a work permit and Social Security number. His wife says he was employed legally and had complied with all ICE requirements prior to his arrest.
His extended family fled Colombia due to threats from armed groups and now resides in Spain. Flórez, who is also seeking asylum in the U.S., says deportation would leave her husband isolated and at serious risk.
Pineda was first taken to the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey before being transferred to the Pine Prairie Detention Center in Louisiana, where he remains in custody.
According to Flórez, he has been denied medication for asthma, pain treatment following recent back surgery, and medical care for a high fever he has had for several days.
Flórez says her husband has described the conditions as “inhumane and degrading,” telling her the facility is overcrowded with more than 150 men packed into a space designed for 80.
“New detainees arrived and were forced to sleep on the floor, without mattresses or bedding,” she said. “He is physically and emotionally deteriorating every day.”
She alleges ICE is relying on a deportation order from 2022—issued before her husband was granted humanitarian parole, applied for asylum, and received work authorization. Flórez argues that using the outdated order disregards his current legal status and denies him due process.
She also claims detainees are pressured to sign documents without being allowed to read them. Her husband has not been given a court hearing date, she says, and could be deported at any time.
“Juan is a law-abiding taxpayer who followed every step of the legal process,” Flórez said. “He came to the U.S. to escape danger, to work, and to build a life with dignity. Now he is trapped in a system that ignores his humanity, denies him medical care, and violates his rights.
“He deserves medical treatment. He deserves a fair hearing. He deserves to be heard. And above all, he deserves to live.”
