UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) - A former Venezuelan mayor who fled his country citing political persecution has been detained by federal immigration authorities in the Tri-State, leaving his family seeking answers as he faces possible deportation.Carlos Garcia-Oden served four years as mayor of Mérida, Venezuela. His family said his opposition to President Nicolás Maduro led to threats of imprisonment. Garcia-Oden was later removed from office and sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, according to his family.A former Venezuelan mayor who fled his home country fearing political persecution has been detained by federal immigration agents after building a life in the Tri-State for four years, leaving his family asking for help as he faces possible deportation. (WKRC, Provided)Garcia-Oden and his wife, Gavy Duarte, fled Venezuela with their children and his parents, first seeking refuge in neighboring Colombia before traveling to the United States. Duarte said they crossed into Texas in 2022 with their young children and later settled in the Cincinnati area. Family friend Sigrid Spradlin translated Duarte’s comments.“They decided to come to this country because they know they can be protected,” Spradlin said.Garcia-Oden previously spent a month in the United States as part of a cultural program in 2010. Three years after that visit, he was voted mayor of Merida. He became an outspoken critic of the Maduro regime, was eventually ousted, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for opposing the government.Garcia-Oden and his family fled, first stopping in neighboring Colombia. After Venezuelan squads kidnapped another exile nearby, the family came to the United States, crossing into Texas at Hildalgo with Duarte, his parents, and their 3- and 1-year-old children.Spradlin, translating, described part of the journey: “Also in one of those airboats, inflatables. That's what they put all the family there.”A former Venezuelan mayor who fled his home country fearing political persecution has been detained by federal immigration agents after building a life in the Tri-State for four years, leaving his family asking for help as he faces possible deportation. (Provided)The family said Garcia-Oden checked in regularly with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while pursuing asylum and was granted Temporary Protected Status. He also received a work permit valid through 2030.Earlier this year, the United States captured Maduro and brought him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges. Soon afterward, the Trump administration revoked that protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who came to the U.S. in the last decade.During his latest check-in last month, ICE arrested Garcia-Oden, detained him at the Butler County Jail, and began deportation proceedings against him.Spradlin, translating Duarte, said, “They took him without cause, without reason. They didn't tell her the reason they were taking him. There was no reason for taking him.”Duarte described the impact of the arrest: “Terrible, terrible, terrible. 'Fue un impacto, porque yo nunca pensé que eso iba a suceder.'" Spradlin translated: “So it was very bad, terrible for her, because they never thought this was going to happen.”Garcia-Oden’s next deportation or asylum hearing has not yet been scheduled.An ICE spokesperson issued a statement to Local 12 in regard to Garcia-Oden's case.“ICE officers arrested Carlos Garcia-Oden, an illegal alien from Venezuela, on Jan. 23 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Garcia was initially apprehended by Border Patrol in February of 2022 in the Rio Grande Valley. He freely admitted to illegally crossing the border without inspection by an immigration officer. Under the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policy, he was allowed to enter the United States. He will remain in ICE custody pending further immigration proceedings and will receive full due process.President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate narco-terrorist dictator who stole from his own people. Now Venezuelans can go home to a country that they love.We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."