HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Wisconsin mother detained despite judge's green card approval, granted $1,500 bond after two months

May 21, 2026 · Sheboygan Falls, WI, Mexico

Wisconsin mother detained despite judge's green card approval, granted $1,500 bond after two months

Elvira Benitez-Suarez, a 51-year-old mother of four U.S. citizen children who has lived in Wisconsin for 35 years, was detained by ICE on March 10, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment in Milwaukee. An immigration judge had previously ruled her deportation should be canceled and approved her green card application, but the Department of Homeland Security appealed that decision. After spending over two months in custody at Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky, a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy opened the possibility of a bond hearing. On May 21, 2026, an immigration judge granted her a $1,500 bond, though the government reserved the right to appeal during the 30-day appeal window.

Timeline

May 21, 2026Immigration judge granted Benitez-Suarez a $1,500 bond following a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy; government reserved the right to appeal
Mar 10, 2026Benitez-Suarez re-arrested by ICE during a routine check-in appointment in Milwaukee and transferred to Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky
Jul 2025Benitez-Suarez initially detained by ICE after a GPS error led her across the Canadian border during a family road trip; an immigration judge cancelled that detention citing exceptional hardship to her U.S. citizen children

Sources

More incidents in Wisconsin