Louisville mother detained by ICE at final green card interview, husband and baby present
Armelle Bondonga, a 21-year-old woman who came to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a child in 2013 under her father's asylum case, was detained by ICE agents on Aug. 12 during her final marriage-based green card interview at the USCIS field office in Louisville. Her U.S. citizen husband, Terrance Bradshaw, and their 19-month-old U.S. citizen child were present; Bradshaw said agents separated the couple before he left with their son. Bondonga, co-founder of the youth leadership group Future Ancestors, had a final removal order from November 2025 but was pursuing residence through her marriage, with her husband's I-130 petition still pending. Her attorneys, including Arianit Osmani, filed a habeas corpus petition arguing agents lacked a warrant and unlawfully detained her, while federal officials described the arrest as a lawful targeted operation by the Fugitive Operations Team. Dozens of community members and elected officials, including state representative Sadiqa Reynolds, rallied outside Louisville Metro Hall, describing her as an active volunteer with no criminal record. She was held at the Clark County jail in Jeffersonville, Indiana, as attorneys prepared for a bond hearing, and her husband said her absence has left a void in their home.



















