Blind, deaf asylum seeker detained after noise fine, misses son's birth and faces deportation
Carlos Moreno, a legally blind and hard-of-hearing asylum seeker from Venezuela, was detained by ICE agents in March 2026 as he and his wife, Wendys Martinez, left a Schuylkill County courthouse after paying a $277 noise citation for playing music at their Pottsville home. He was transferred through a York processing facility and Moshannon Valley Processing Center before being held for nearly six months at Cambria County Prison, about 200 miles from his family, where he says staff failed to keep his hearing aids charged, never repaired his broken cane, and did not provide promised translation services, leaving him reliant on other detainees and largely confined to his cell. Moreno said the conditions led him to abandon his asylum appeal; after the deadline passed, Martinez gave birth to their son alone on the Fourth of July while their four other children cared for themselves at home. Cambria County, which has earned more than $1.5 million detaining immigrants under a federal agreement, later transferred Moreno to facilities in Louisiana and then Texas to await deportation to Venezuela. The county's warden said Moreno received adequate care but declined to provide details, citing privacy and security procedures. A GoFundMe campaign has raised money for the family's legal fees, rent and groceries.
