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Ecuadorian woman detained by ICE at Phoenix airport despite marriage to US citizen

Aug 19, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ, Ecuador

Ecuadorian woman detained by ICE at Phoenix airport despite marriage to US citizen

Diana Vera, a 27-year-old Ecuadorian woman, was detained by ICE at the Phoenix airport while traveling with her husband, a U.S. citizen, to celebrate his birthday. According to her mother, Mercedes Espinoza, agents approached Vera, confirmed her name, and took her into custody, telling her husband they could not intervene despite him showing their marriage certificate. Vera had entered the U.S. legally on a visa and later married her husband, and the couple were in the process of regularizing her immigration status. The family launched a fundraising campaign to help cover legal defense costs while hoping she can be released on bail.

Sources

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