Rochester, N.Y. (WROC) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, responded this week to allegations of an unjust deportation of a man living in Rochester.Lorena Diaz-Candelaria, a Rochester resident and US citizen, says ICE deported her husband, Ruben Santos-Disla, on March 24 after he had applied for asylum while also seeking permission to stay, citing their marriage.Diaz-Candelaria told News 8 Santos-Diaz, who arrived here from the Dominican Republic in 2023, had stayed on the straight and narrow, paid taxes, and even started a handyman business.ICE, however, told News 8 Santos-Disla was an illegal alien who “previously failed to appear for his immigration hearings,” adding, “An immigration judge ordered him Removed Jan. 16. Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo subsequently arrested this ICE fugitive in a targeted enforcement action March 4.”Diaz-Candelaria acknowledges that Santos-Disla missed a hearing in January but says his previous hearing was in February of last year, which led to confusion and to his assumption that the next hearing would be in February of this year.She added that Santos-Disla never tried to hide from law enforcement.After recognizing the mistake, Diaz-Candelaria says they hired a lawyer to appeal and seek a new hearing date, but the arrest and deportation occurred before they could gather the proper paperwork.In their response, ICE added a statement seen in other emails from them: “The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of illegal aliens who have no right to be in this country.”Diaz-Candelaria says her husband does have a right to be here, given their marriage and previous legal moves, and promised to explore all avenues to bring him back.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst.