Punching the Clock: ICE Arrested Her at Her Green Card Interview

What happens when you follow every immigration rule… and still get arrested?

In this episode of Punching the Clock for The AM Sidebar, Vika and Louis share their unbelievable true story. After fleeing Ukraine during the war, Vika legally entered the U.S., fell in love, got married, and began the green card process. Everything was going according to plan—until ICE agents walked into her immigration interview and arrested her on the spot.

She spent 38 days in detention, separated from her husband, navigating a system that even attorneys didn’t fully understand. Inside, she found strength by helping others: teaching yoga, promoting wellness, and building a community among detainees.

This episode breaks down:

-What actually happened at the immigration interview
-Why lawful applicants are being detained
-The emotional toll on families
-What rights YOU have under immigration law
-How Vika ultimately won her release and got her green card

This isn’t just a legal story; it’s a human one. If you care about immigration, civil rights, or real-life legal stories, this is a must-watch.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:06

Imagine doing everything the law asks you to do. Filling out the paperwork, showing up to your immigration appointment, following every single rule, and instead of walking out, you're arrested. That's exactly what happened to Vika. She came to the United States as a Ukrainian refugee during the war. She fell in love with a US citizen. They got married and started the legal process to adjust her immigration status. When they finally received their immigration interview date, they thought it was the final step. They were so excited. But instead, ICE agents walked into the room and Vega was taken into custody. She spent the next 38 days in detention. Inside, she did something amazing to help herself and her fellow inmates cope. She started teaching yoga, encouraging proper nutrition and exercise. Outside, her husband Louis was fighting every day to bring her home. Today, they're sharing their story for the very first time. I'm Mila Eritunian and this is Punching the Clock, where I show you what powers you have under the law. Welcome back to Punching the Clock. Usually on this show, we break down legal cases or workplace policies. But today's episode is a little bit different because sometimes the law becomes real through someone's story. Well, first of all, thank you guys so much for joining me today. I'm so excited to have you. And this is your first time sharing your story publicly since Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Yeah. So we've had a lot of people interested in the story, but one, I think there was comfort that we wanted to have comfort with somebody that we talked to. Um and I think speaking to you, being part of our story, it was like that was like made the most sense. So when you offered the opportunity, I think we were both like excited to do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Yeah, I'm so excited to have you. I'm grateful because I think the story is really important. It's important because we talk a lot about how people's rights are violated and bringing huge lawsuits and we don't talk a lot about the human part of that. And as of this time, like we don't even know if you can have civil claims because ICE was following government orders. Um, but I want to talk about the human aspect and how it's affected you, and I think it's particularly important because you were one of the first people this happened to.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

I was telling Vika yesterday that after this occurred, I actually posted on my social media about this and kind of told the story because I was in such shock and I didn't even know what to do. And I got so many hateful comments of like death threats, people saying I'm lying, I'm trying to bring down the government, that I had to delete the post. No one knew it. It hadn't happened very much yet. So I guess let's get right into it. Vika, tell us the story.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

We you know, we started our our journey trying to follow the rules that were put in place for us.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Well, tell us how you how you came to the States for the first time. In my home country, Ukraine, the war was started by our neighbors, and it wasn't safe for me anymore, and I'm the that kind of person who can't uh function when it's not safe around. So I was looking for the safety. Um I left uh Ukraine like in a week after the war was started, and at the end I happened to be to US because I never planned to go to US in my life. So I just did it. And then the program is United for Ukraine, which is officially called humanitarian parole. It means that I was granted the official papers before entering the US. So I had a paper, uh basically the invitation to US, which I came with uh through the airport by the immigration officers. I was granted the it's still not called visa, but parole for the next two years. I never crossed the the border or anything else. I was granted the papers and officially came to the US to seek the safety and protection as they opened this program for for many Ukrainians.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

And then you met Louie. And I remember, I was thinking about this. I remember she was at my house and she was like, It was my birthday, and I did a candle making class and I met this man, and I I remember exactly what you said. It stuck with me because it was so powerful. Yeah, she said it feels like he was created for me. Yeah, that's that's what he said.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

I think honestly, that's that is kind of like how we feel about each other. That that night is like we couldn't kind of get away from each other. We couldn't even go a day.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

This is what I want. Yeah, this is like the heart talking. Years of immigration before the moment we met, it all led to him that all was it.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

I literally have good forms right now. And then how long uh after were you married? Three months. Yeah, you were inseparable. I remember it was just it was so fast, but it just fit. It just fit. They say when you know, you know, this was the exact situation where you knew literally from day one, because I think you came to my house the day after you met him.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Yes, it it is just instant, and also like I know people date, get to know each other, and so on so on, but both of us before we met went through a big like processes in our lives, like therapy, tryings. Both of us were seeking of like strong relationship. Uh, and that's why at the moment we met we were already ready for each other.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

So fast forward, and I remember this is and I'm sorry it'll it'll be probably traumatic, kind of going back to this horrible day, but I also remember when you were super excited to finally go in and get your marriage approved because you got married and then um so tell me you set the interview to get the marriage approved through immigration, is that how it works?

SPEAKER_01 6:41

And it was a big goal to finally like have our uh paperwork done, to being able to leave the country, because before I didn't have um right to re-enter the US, so I couldn't leave US uh because we were together and the main goal was like to have it done and being able to go to see my family. So tell us what happened at the interview.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

We had no reason to believe anything was gonna happen. We were calm, we were we were excited, we were like, okay, this is gonna be simple, we're gonna go in. Like we had plans to go to the grocery store after and get stuff for Thanksgiving. She had marinated a turkey and had it all right.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Giant turkey for the whole France group.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

So this was just a small part of the day that but it was like a big moment because it was finishing this long process.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

People's stories, and really a big percentage of people got approved right there at the interview or next day. So we didn't have doubts why it wouldn't be happening.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Yeah, we had no reason to believe that anything was going to happen. Getting into the into the office, um she was asking us questions as normal, but she was typing a lot. She was typing a lot, and I was speaking and sharing, and she was not asking questions to like ask questions. She was like almost like stalling, she was like taking time. Um, and then so we got to the part where she was asking some legal questions about um like have you ever s overstayed your your visa? And she didn't know how to answer that.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Before we made a decision to go visit this case, I double and triple checked everything, how to do it right, because my parole was expiring. Uh but our legal marriage was in uh like one when I was legal in the country. And the reason I didn't go for prolongation of parole or getting another TPS status, because all the history of similar cases shows that once you you're married with the US citizen, you don't need anything else. Like it's okay, you have your s uh case uh pending.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

It's kind of like they kind of looked away. It's like, okay, yes, this is part of the process, we'll kind of not pay attention to the case.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

The pandemic case meant you were legally in the country. Being in the country legally.

SPEAKER_02 9:06

And I've known tens and tens of people who have came here and gotten married, and this has never been an issue. This is completely unprecedented.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

It was all the all the advice and everything that we had seen and read said like yes, that it's technically you're not supposed to do that, it's not legal, but it's part of the process, and everybody just kind of looks past that because they know it takes a while. Um, so we were kind of winning with the confidence like for like fifty years that hasn't that hasn't been an issue, so why would it be an issue now?

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Otherwise, with my old double and triple checking, if I would find out that it's an odd way to go, I would just apply to prolongation of my status and we would go with two cases parallel. It wouldn't pro be a problem. It was just uh uh logistical uh I don't know. Overstay maybe because why would we do two cases at the same time if they boast about like almost the same just to make your documents uh like in order to be legal here? That was our intention. It's not like intention wasn't right. Did I overstay? She she basic obviously couldn't give us any advice. So I said yes. She's saying, Okay, uh other officers wanna talk to you. I'm leaving. In my head, it was like maybe someone else who has more power wants to uh add some questions, or maybe someone else can make decision not she can not.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

And then Well, I and I thought looking at it now, I thought maybe somebody was coming in to like say congratulations, guys, and they're like come in with like with uh like some papers or something. Um yeah, and then I can see outside the door because there's like a glass by the door. Um the officers outside they walk in, and it's kind of like when you're asleep, your eyes are trying to focus on and see all the details that are exactly in front of you. So it took a sec to to piece it together, but I remember she she was like, hello, hi, she said that she said hi. She was like, these guys are walking in, so she's like, hello, and then I'm looking, and I can see that they have the tactical vests on and it says ice, and then I'm looking, and I'm like, okay, what's going on?

SPEAKER_01 11:23

And then he says, uh I still had night and had no idea.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

She was still pro I figured it out before she did.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

They said here here is an order for your arrest. Yeah. I'm like, What? We're married. Like here's our like paperwork is going on. What do you mean being detained? They say we're uh like arresting you for overstaying your visa. I'm like turning to Louis saying, Is it really happening? Like is it real? It can't be. And he says he's uh it's probably nothing you can do. And I'm like in shock and they want me to stand face facing the wall, putting handcuffs on me. I'm standing up. First first I was like, okay, what to do? I guess still in the office, I g I said, Louis, call Mila Right there immediately. And since that moment I started to cry, and for the whole time until coming to the ICE detention downtown, I was crying, it was about three hours. So they first took me out of the office and brought to the parking where they have their van and they had to uh continue handcuffing me even more. By that moment Louis came he was looking for for the car and he happened to be exactly where I was and basically on his eyes they were putting handcuffs like they they um opened the handcuffs behind my my back, put me in front with handcuffs, chains here around my waist, and cuff chains too with handcuffs. I even had like uh bruises and cuts here because it's like freaking heavy metal. It was happening in front of my husband putting handcuffs on me, chains, like if I killed someone. Because you know, this image uh like handcuff like chains on the legs is only for for murders. Yeah, it was like so humiliating, it's feeling of like full um it's very embarrassing.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

And I think that's the worst part of it to me, because Louis called me right away. I think he was still with you when he called me.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

So she as she was leaving the office upstairs, she's like, Call Mila, call Mila. And so I'm like, okay, and I'm I'm just panicking. I just I just feel like everything's kind of like in slow motion. And I don't know if if you've ever been into that that garage at the UCI USCIS building, it's it kind of just kind of goes in a loop. Like if you're not paying attention and you don't go to the right space, so I literally was like just looping and looping and looping, just lost. I could not figure it out, like my brain was not allowing me to process. So I said, okay, I'm just gonna stop and I'm gonna call Mila. And that's when I called you, and as I called you, um, I'm making this left, and then I see the van and she's right there. So I I guess now looking back at it, it was meant for me to be kind of lost so that I could see her. Because I in my head, I was like, she I don't know where she's going. I have no they didn't all they gave me was a card in the QR code.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Before they took me, they said that she will be taken to the Otimesa detention center. So I was taken to ICE detention in downtown first for almost two days.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Like she was saying earlier, like we haven't been separated to that point from the the moment like we really met. So to not have any contact and to not know where she was at and be separated like that, it was killing me inside, and I'm like panicking and like hyperventilating. Like I called my parents and they came over immediately, and you know, thankfully, I I'm just fortunate that they just moved to San Diego at that time, and so like my parents were there to have my parents with me in that moment. It was it was a blessing, really. Um, but I was just I was lost.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

I remember calling Vlad and being like, I don't know who to worry about more, Vika or Louis. Yeah. Vika's a fighter, I know. She's gonna struggle, but she's gonna fight.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

It's the truth. Louis's gonna come without exactly, yeah. No, that's right, that's accurate.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

So when you called me, I think the most shocking thing to me, I mean, as an attorney, but also as an immigrant myself, like we came here as refugees and got asylum and were able to stay. Never in my life have I seen in America people trying to do things the right way and being exposed to this and experiencing this. And I am not kidding you when I tell you that when you called me, I stopped everything I was doing and I called every immigration attorney I could find in San Diego, including calling pe other attorneys who knew cell phone numbers of immigration attorneys. And no one knew that this was happening everyone was shocked because it had just started happening. So this is like a very particular case because these people are literally trying to do everything by the book, going in, trusting that they are doing things the right way, not having any intention to break the law or do anything illegal. I mean, you guys had a very legitimate marriage. You had there's no way in hell it wasn't gonna get approved. And to have it to be seized from there and taken away, it it was crazy. And so I found one other case that this had happened to, and it was a woman who was a citizen of the UK, and she had a baby, and they went into her interview. At the same time? Around the same time, it was a couple weeks before. They went into her interview and they literally took her baby away, gave it to her husband, and detained her.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

I heard about any side.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

And I found the attorney who was handling that case, who I then referred, he was helping with that case, who I then um had him reach out to you. Um, and thankfully he was able to help you through the ordeal, but it took 38 days. 38 days of your life that you won't get back. Yes. So tell us a little bit about that. How was the detention process?

SPEAKER_01 17:55

So first it's like probably something you can compare from the movie when you see those movies when someone was arrested and taken to police stations, to the uh concrete room, they're just metal benches on sides, the toilet in the middle of the room, uh also concrete floor, and just those like sports mats, like that black ones, uh on the floor for sleeping. For a blanket was uh emergency blanket, foil, foil, foil.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Did it make foiling like sounds when you Yeah, yeah, like the ones on the marathon runners to warm their bodies up or yeah, and you have to go party in front of everyone in the room.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Yeah, yikes. It was just girls, so first it was awkward, but then because we were there all in the same situation, we still were covering each other with the this blanket, like but then it just became like Yeah, we're here, we stuck. It is what it is. Then for food it was some sandwiches or and goritas, like a couple times a day, something for breakfast, something for lunch. And then twenty four hours of bright white light, never, never, never off. Even at night So that's even at night no matter what in rooms are called, that's they how they explain they uh prevent of getting sick. Were you in like a jumpsuit? Eventually I changed my clothes to the jumpsuit which they give because I was like in this type of pants, these shoes.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

You saw you saw the story, the video before. She was dressed really nice.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Yeah. So they took my shoes away immediately because it's heels. They gave me four sizes bigger, something like a gapuchki. Yes, like a slides. Yes. We were all terrified, all girls. How many girls were in the room? The end it was like maybe eleven to thirteen.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

In one room? Yeah. All using the same toilet.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

How often did they let you out to like walk around or go outside?

SPEAKER_01 20:10

No. Not at all. Just to take a call. So two times. Two two reasons to get out of the room. No, three reasons. First, to make a call, which I was like just begging for calls for myself and for others. Um second reason is when they call you to make your paperwork. And third reason to be in transferred. That's when you leave the room. So they took us all anyway, and again with chains and handcuffs. So just at two in the morning next day, I came into the detention unit and went to sleep in the bed. Bath kind. Um should say that in my head the detention where I came eventually, or I expected even worse. When I came in, I saw at least like green and blue uh couches in the unit, and on the left wall, and like all the rooms. It's like a big open room without doors, four and eight eight beds in each room. And so this total two days were the worst because it was a mess of the feeling of embarrassment, of anger, of like confusion, confusion, all of that. Because in my head was this country promised me protection. I didn't even ask for that. They opened this program, they opened this way to me to go in. This country gave me protection, and then the same country put me in a jail with me for. Following all the lows, never like doing anything bad to anyone. Like what the hell is happening? And my second thought was about my husband. Like, what is shit going on that this country can't protect that he's the citizen and it touches him. They took away his wife from him, from citizen. That's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Yeah. That's a lot. You went through so much. I mean it's just the trauma. I can imagine your cortisol levels were through the roof and just not knowing where this would end. And that's the other thing that I think a lot of people are not understanding, um, because I've had I've heard a lot of sentiment of like, well, these people are not legal citizens here, so they should be detained. But I'm like, they are legal and like it's costing us tax dollars to keep people detained. People who should are trying to do things right, A, and then B, these people in order to get out of detention, so they're not spending our tax dollars, have to spend thousands of dollars on attorneys to just try and get them out, to try and fight them. And a lot of people aren't understanding how expensive that process is, not only the detention, but the attorneys that it costs to pull out of the detention.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

This is uh average how much uh government pays to detention center per person per day is 250.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

It's like$250 per person per day. Per day.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

And I was there 38 days. This is the amount they spent on me only. Instead of people who have work authorization, everything, they work, they buy, they pay taxes, they uh provide their own life contributing to the society. Exactly. They're taking away to like to those who get those ninety five hundred, have like ninety percent, I guess, of those money. Because the level of life they provide us there, it's not too 50 per day.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

The fact that this is literally a nation of immigrants. The immigration systems were set up for people like you and me to come here, apply for asylum, apply for a visa, and get to stay. And I was so incredibly proud. I was 19 years old when I got my citizenship. Not because I couldn't get it earlier, but because we couldn't afford it. It was like$1,500 or something at the time, and we didn't have money. So when I I saved up enough money to apply for citizenship, and it was one of the most proud days of my life. I still remember what I wore to this day. I still have the shirt in my closet and I refused to throw it out. It's a BB shirt because it's like it's my pride and joy of being a citizen in this country. But that's why this country was set up and it was built on citizens and on immigrants. And the fact of the matter is like immigrants contribute a lot to the society. So finding people who are trying to do things right, trying to contribute to the society and pay their taxes and do things by the book.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

So only people who really hustle, who really work, who really develop themselves every day and grow above themselves every day, and so many businesses are opened by immigrants and like in the Ukrainian community and others, uh just what I know, they they stay here. The people who couldn't can't do that, the people who like uh expect to come here and just everything get everything like done for them, they just leave eventually because it's not possible. It's not how life life is going on here.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

My mom always says that she says that a lot of immigrants come here expecting an easy life, and when they realize how hard it is to make it here, they don't want to be here. It's really hard, you really have to work. So the system is already built away, so it's it filters. Yeah. So Louis, tell us a little bit about what was it like for you while she was in.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

So for for me, I was in shock. The drive home, I don't remember how I got home. Thankfully, I got home okay. Um but those 38 days, I felt like I was in prison too. Um, it immediately triggered my my depression. Um, I took leave from work and there's no way I would be able to be around people. Um so I was just at home and trying to navigate and figure out lawyers and paperwork and all of her uh paperwork that she had set aside. Thankfully, she's so organized because I wouldn't have been able to I wouldn't have been able to find anything. Everything was set up in a way that I can find it. It would have been a mess otherwise, but um I was just it was a struggle. Um, just trying to eat, trying to do anything, just basically waiting for for her calls, waiting for her messages, um, and then her, you know, asking because uh she's angry at this time too. She's like, Well, when is this happening? Why why can't they do this? And I'm like, I don't know, babe. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

I kept him in tone.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

Well, I mean, I can imagine how hard it would be dealing with your own feelings, but also trying to seem strong and together for her, but also managing her emotions.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

I think a lot of people would tell me too, is like, oh, I bet you this will be really great for your relationship. It'll show like how much you love each other and how strong you guys are. It's like, no, no, we we already know that.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

That was a little bit piecing the piece in question off because first our conversation when we could talk after we stopped crying, it was like it's not about relationship. It's not it's not uh like why this happened.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Is this a test? Is this what what is the purpose of this?

SPEAKER_01 27:56

It's not a challenge for us because we already know how strong cover love is. We're showing it to each other every day.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

You and I are both super into fitness and sports and healthy life. I remember you called me, and first of all, let me just say like your character is incredible, and one of the reasons why I love you-well, a few reasons, but one is like your drive. I love that you're a hustler because you remind me so much of me. And I'm like, I'm a little older than you. But I feel like we have a connection in that that we both are always just like looking for ways to hustle and just make our way. Just like there is no path. We make it, and I love that about you. And the second thing I love about you is your integrity. One of the things that you said to me when you called me, I I was having a surgery on December 9th, and you were supposed to help me out during my surgery. Um, and you were like, Are you gonna be okay? And I'm like, Are you serious, girl? I get detained. I get at that point.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

I even thought that I will be out by that moment. Oh yeah, you did it was before, you know. You did it.

SPEAKER_02 29:03

You called me and you're like, I hope I'll be out so I can help you after your surgery. And I'm like, girl, this should not be something you're thinking about. And then the other thing you told me is that you've been trying to like reframe your mind and see the positive, like trying to make the best out of it to the best you can. One of the things you said when you were trying to meditate and kind of take it as like a silent retreat. And the other thing you said that I was so proud and impressed, and I literally told everyone who would listen is that you were encouraging other women who were detained to exercise and you were teaching them yoga. So tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

In the very beginning, we try when I came in, I was like, okay, my body needed some moments. I started doing my uh wellness workouts on the yard. There is like kind of a yard outside, the size of half of basketball field, which is all around like concrete walls. Like we we did we could see only the sky. Uh but we had access to the yoga mats, so I encouraged some people to join. The next day they were asking me to do that because it really worked, I feel better, la la la and so on. I was very happy because there is no place you uh take resource from, there is no channels to refill it. So I was just maintaining myself. I was translating to Ukrainian or Russian or and backwards some documents which people needed, or like um teaching a little bit of English even. So anything I could do, but I when I got out, I noticed how different per person I was there. Like with Louis, I learned how to make jokes, how to laugh and everything, be more like relaxed and uh make life easier and funnier. Back in detention it got lost. I was so serious and stiff that I was angrier than usually and everything. I didn't like that version of me. Uh just like taking freedom and but then also my some of my knowledge was about food, so there was horrible food. And just long story short, the real piece of chicken, ties and the leg, was in menu once in five weeks.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

One piece of chicken once in five weeks. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:34

Was there any other meat other than that one piece of chicken? For uh halal diet, there was beef. Could you pretend you have halal diet?

SPEAKER_02 31:43

What can you pretend you have halal diet?

SPEAKER_01 31:45

Maybe I could try, but I was like, okay, I had I had Muslim friends there, so they shared some beef with me. Um and uh the other food was like sometimes it's canned meat, sometimes it's like the Provolon, which looks and tastes if it would be paper soaked in water and baked. Sometimes it's just uh one slice of that provolon, sometimes it's little pieces mixed with uh pasta, sometimes it's like uh in the shape of meatball, something like that. Uh it was horrible, but in that we we got some lettuce, and I made everyone who I knew eat lettuce all the time. It's like the only the only elements we get here. I I told everyone eat all the salad. How about fruits? Any fruits?

SPEAKER_00 32:42

That's what I was just gonna say, no fruit, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

No fruits. It just on uh Thanksgiving, instead of dinner, they gave us those bags with um sandwich and there was apple. And so people who were there detained for 13 months already, someone for 14 months, they saw Apple for the first time for that whole period. And yeah. So health-wise, they don't take care of people. It was my another anger, like big, big anger, because I have so much I had so much control about my life with all the choices I make every day, and they took it all away for no reason. About no reason, uh because how I got released, it was judges' determination of immediate release. Immediate release means just that you don't have court, they don't judge you, you're just released. Well, your marriage was approved the day after your interview. Yeah, because they don't have reason to keep you there.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Once we had the lawyer, he would share information with me. I I think a lot of it was just very confusing because again, I had not been I never really needed a lawyer, I never had to do anything legally.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Well, let me tell you one thing, it was confusing for the lawyers. Yeah, because it was so unprecedented. People had not been arrested before while they had a legitimate marriage applying for the so lawyers didn't know at all how courts were gonna react. And I think courts were confused. Yeah, because there's also like they can't go against ICE. ICE is making these decisions, these decisions are coming from the top, they can't step on their toes, but also the courts were like, What the hell do we do? This has never happened before.

SPEAKER_01 34:30

Actually, what ICE officer who was arresting me said it's not like what I would like to do, but I can I don't have choice. It's the order.

SPEAKER_00 34:41

Well, I'll give a good example too of like the confusion even with the lawyers. So for us, it wasn't there was like a like a cutoff date. It was two weeks. She had a bond hearing. So it's like, okay, we just have to get to that date, get to that bond hearing date.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

And the lawyers it was December 5th.

SPEAKER_00 34:56

Yeah, the lawyer the lawyer was pretty confident. He's like, Yeah, we'll get bonded and then we'll figure out what we need to do.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

I remember that. I was thinking like just get out of here and then and then figure out it outside. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

So the few people that went ahead of us in the courtroom bond, you know, 1500, whatever it was, somebody had 3,000. Um, and I was like, okay, she's up next. But he tells me while he gets there that there was a change and that he's not she's not eligible for bond.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

And so now DHS changed my status or whatever how they call call me, the class of my status how they call me, changed to the way that I'm not eligible for bond, as they said that I am arriving alien. Which I wasn't. I was arriving alien in the go back to the beginning where I said in airport I got st I got stamp. Before the stamp, I was arriving alien. Since the stamp, I wasn't anymore. So they changed my this class to the arriving alien who has no eligibility for bond. And it crashes, everything crashes at the moment.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Yeah, and then at that point we were now we're unsure when she's getting out, and that's became the 38 days. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

38 days is a long time.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

It's a very long time, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:20

On December 5th, they gave me next date of the court, December 17th. And that's the day when our lawyer uh did a very good move and um requested judge to determine my USCIS case, my 485 uh application, which is like approval for uh green card. Basically, this form says approval of this form says the marriage is legit, was approved next day after the interview.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Yeah, the next day. That was it felt like a slap in the face to get that notification on her phone that it was approved. That part is like, yes, okay, our marriage is is legitimate.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

Yeah, and still and so um lawyer is asking judge to determine my for advice application. He says that he literally doesn't have a jurisdiction to do that. He believes that only USCS has a jurisdiction to do that. So he says, I will gladly move her case back to USCS and I don't see any sense to keep her here. And he says if both sides, which is us, our lawyer, and DHS are not um don't have objectives, I will do that. Of course, D just DHS objects just says um yeah, I need to get familiar with the case. To me, it was like, what are you doing there without knowing my case? How the fuck is it possible? And then second, uh I need biometrics which were there in the case. My biometrics were there. Um so it was just a reason. So court gave her ten days which the last day would be January 2nd to get the answer. Uh it happened on December 30th. So that day I couldn't even get up from bed. I was at that point I was like already like defeated. Nothing happening today. And I was just trying to stay in the bed as much as possible to get this time done. So about 12 a.m. p.m. I get up and call Louis and he says, Finally, I was waiting for your call. It's a good day, it's happening. I'm like, No way, you're kidding. I couldn't believe at that point. December 30th, like right before New Year, two days past my birthday. Um and I start crying, and I see my girls l look at me that I'm crying and they don't understand it's good or bad. I'm like, okay, I need to tell them So and it's that cry was about like all of this coming out, like all all this story, all everything inside, like it's it's happening at this moment. I'm going to be free again. Like I'm getting my life back. That was like very, very hard.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

By the time we were getting to that that 30th, she was at her breaking point. I can just hear it in her voice. When I would talk to her on video calls, she was just fading. Yeah, and that that was the hardest part for me to see that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

I wanted to talk to outside world less and less. It's like after the months, it's a point when you just adjusting being there and you're trying to use your energy to like maintain everything inside. Because it's also like many different things going on inside because it's like up to 160 people in one unit different people from all over the world.

SPEAKER_02 40:11

And I can imagine seeing people in there who who were detained for 17 months would cause so much defeat.

SPEAKER_01 40:18

And some of them were still so kind. When I got detained and got in, they were helping me. They were like sharing the food because I didn't have nothing and I couldn't have another week because there's just one week you can order. One day in a week you can order something from a commissary, and it was Sunday, and you get it on Tuesday. And I got there on Wednesday. So people were sharing, very cal very kind, were like helping. Women are like such a power. And wh at the end, when I went to intake on December 31st, and I got my papers about determination, it said that DHS opposed. They still didn't want to let me go. They didn't have any reason. But judge still made his decision because DHS, it said didn't give any like uh real evidences, and like no criminal story, no like real reasons for me to be detained. So that's crazy. That's crazy. And then 9 p.m. the almost 9 p.m.

SPEAKER_03 41:37

bus arrived to the San Isidro San Isidro bus station.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

And we finally went. And you texted me, I remember, and I told the kids and they were so excited it was New Year's Eve. Yeah. And I was like, what a wonderful start to 2026. Vika's free. I literally said that, and I came home and my mom started crying, my aunt started crying. I took a video and I sent it. I'm like, look how happy everyone is.

SPEAKER_03 42:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:03

It was very heartbreaking that it my that happened to me also touched so many other people who had to like worry. And everything it was like very hard.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Yeah, I think for for me, like seeing her one, I was so happy, so excited to see her. On the other side of that, I was just I was also so broken by that point and exhausted and tired. Um, it was just like I was able to breathe again. I held her, she jumped in my arms, and she just had her little prison sweats on with her jacket.

unknown 42:41

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 42:42

Yeah, and I just like just we drove, we got out of there.

SPEAKER_01 42:45

And then we came home and we were united with our little furry babies. Oh yeah, your kids. You just got your cats.

SPEAKER_02 42:52

They must have grown so much in those 38 days.

SPEAKER_01 42:56

Just like uh months before we got detained, we got Moon, the girl from the uh from the shelter shelter. And on November 22nd, we we got second cat, Mars, boy, same age, the baby. And two days I got to abuse them and that's it.

SPEAKER_02 43:16

And they they took What was the first thing you did after you got it and came home? I was craving meat so badly.

SPEAKER_01 43:24

Yeah, I can imagine. I wanna I wanted Louis to make um mashed potato because mashed potato was so horrible there. I just was dreaming of mashed potato and meat. The next one I wanted to do is like to be read the ocean. The coffee. Next day I wanted to get uh uh one really good coffee. We went to one place in North Park, and then the ocean was my next plant.

SPEAKER_02 43:50

Yeah, and I know one thing I want to t touch on before we go is since you've come out, you've done a lot for other detainees and you've stayed in touch. With them. I remember at one point you were collecting board games to take them over to the detention center and give them do they allow you to do that?

SPEAKER_01 44:09

Uh unfortunately that process uh a little bit comp more complicated because uh to get donations there it goes through the system and you don't know uh what really they will get, plus they limit uh games per unit and books. I wanted to make sure like together books different languages um but the thing is what I got to know that for example Russian language books uh because many people from different countries there, not Russia only, speak Russian and read Russian, and for example, it could be even like books uh learning English from Russian. Uh so library restricted Russian language books for like understandable reason, but it's not all uh all like Russian language used by many, many different countries, right? So that's the PT part. Maybe some volunteer organization does that. Any context would help to do that because I'm still willing and ready to like gather donations because every person I met there and we got close. Yeah. It's like such a everyone had a story, everyone had a pre-story and everyone every story was such a heartbreaking because someone separated with uh loved ones, someone separated from husband and from daughter, from son, from and so on and so on and so on. Uh it was just hard to even imagine the volume of that pain that they cause to people having them there. And most of the people who were detained just kept there as long as law uh would allow them to allows them to, yeah. Um not when there is a reason to keep them. So has your visa been officially approved?

SPEAKER_00 46:24

Yeah, so you have your green card now.

SPEAKER_01 46:26

Unfortunately, yes. In January 9th, our case was reopened to review, and January 23rd probably, green card got approved, and we just ended up being where we had to be.

SPEAKER_00 46:42

Just yeah, it was a long trip to get back to where we were at in the office that day. Yeah big detour. I I would say, like, from my perspective on the outside of is like um find find people inside with you that can support you and keep you strong. Because I think that what kept her going was that small group of of girls that were with her. Um she would share stories, like they would pop on the calls every once in a while, and she would sh she would share about our relationship, they would share about their families, and that that gave her a little bit of humanity inside of that that place, and that's why they're still all so close, even to this day. They're they go out, they get coffee, we you know, meet the families and get together. Um, without that, like like you were just saying, right? We need to be around others and to learn from others, and that helped her kind of get through those dark days, having those girls in there with her. Yeah. So I'd say if you're in that situation currently, find people that will some support you in that in that and stay open to them.

SPEAKER_01 47:47

Open, since don't don't close yourself, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:51

Because people think that would be hard for a lot of people. For me, that would be hard. I tend to when I get really stressed, I just like isolate. Um touched me.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

I'm the same, yeah. So I had to really allow myself to be open and to reach out to people and to take take the help. And so like I was so thankful that she knew you. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you. I I would have been panicked, I would have as a ready panicked, but it gave me like a little bit of like that hope in that moment um where like I I was then able to like find more resources and you were sharing with me. Um I mean to go onto the news and to talk to the media. It's like I never would have done that. Um, but it's but it was so helpful.

SPEAKER_02 48:38

I know you you helped so many people by doing that, and I'm just so happy that you came up with it. We are so endlessly grateful.

SPEAKER_01 48:47

Thank you. That's that says about you, what person you are, that you popped up the first on my mom. Immediately call me love. And I'm honored and humbled. And like everyone who is watching that call me la.

SPEAKER_02 49:05

That's true. Thank you. Thank you so special. Vegan's story reminds us that behind every immigration case, there's a person behind every detention, there's a family waiting on the outside. Even in the harshest environments, people find ways to support each other and create moments of hope. I'm Mila Eretunian, and this is Punching the Clock. And if you want more conversations where law meets real life, make sure to subscribe. Because understanding the law isn't just about knowing your rights, it's about understanding the people behind them. And as we say at Antonian Miranda, know your rights and protect yourself at all times.