New Delhi:
The Wisconsin man who voted for President Donald Trump says he doesn’t regret his decision, even after federal immigration officials arrested his wife when he returned from his honeymoon.
Bradley Bartel’s wife, Peruvian Camila Munoz, overestimated her visa, but was working to gain permanent residency in the United States. Despite their ordeal, Bartel still supports Trump. “I don’t regret voting,” Bartel told Newsweek.
“He didn’t create a system, but he has the opportunity to improve it. Hopefully all of this attention will reveal how corrupt it is,” he said.
Munoz arrived in Wisconsin Dells on a Workstudy Visa in 2019. She worked in agriculture and hospitality. There she met Mr. Bartel.
After losing his phone number first, she later reconnected with him on Facebook and they began a serious relationship. The couple eventually got married, but the pandemic delayed their honeymoon.
In February they traveled to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon for a long time. Upon his return, immigration agents asked Munoz about his citizenship status. She was taken into custody when she explained she was in the process of obtaining a green card. She is currently being held at an ice facility in Louisiana.
Speaking to Newsweek, Bartel explained the pain of witnessing his wife being detained. “It was all a nightmare,” he said. “We have lawyers. The system is very inefficient and takes longer than necessary.”
Since sharing his story, Bartel has faced backlash. “I’ve received a lot of hateful messages. A lot of people who say we deserve this. And a lot of other insults,” he said.
Donald Trump has vowed to massively deport undocumented immigrants, particularly those with criminal records. Growing concerns suggest that enforcement efforts target individuals beyond the “worst first” approach that Trump originally promised.
ICE agents have detained non-violent criminals and legal residents as part of Trump’s deportation plan, and the White House claims that anyone in the country is illegally considered criminals.
Bartel criticizes the ice and calls for reform. “It doesn’t seem to be in fact information in ICE. The system needs to be improved for better processes and inter-functional communication.” He also admitted that he considered moving to Peru if his wife was deported. “It went beyond my heart, but it would be very difficult for my son,” he said.
Bartel is not the only Trump supporter affected by the administration’s immigration policy. On March 8, Palestinian student activist green card holder Mahmoud Khalil was taken into custody at his home in a Columbia University-owned building in front of his pregnant wife. Halil, known for his involvement in the campus protests, is also being held at a Louisiana detention center.
Since January, the US has deported 388 Indian citizens, the government told Congress on Friday. Of these, 333 flew on three military flights in February.
