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Medical assistant detained by ICE despite pending asylum petition

Mar 20, 2026 · Memphis, TN, Venezuela

Medical assistant detained by ICE despite pending asylum petition

Jose Valera Vera, a medical assistant at a Memphis clinic, was detained by ICE after traveling to Nashville for an immigration hearing. Vera, a former doctor from Venezuela seeking political asylum, was taken into custody at the hearing despite having a pending petition filed by his wife, who is a permanent resident. He has since been transferred to a facility in Mason, Tennessee.

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