A South Florida man is making a desperate plea for his wife’s release after she has spent five months in ICE custody, despite entering the U.S. legally under a humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans. Gabriela Sousa came to the U.S. in 2023 and married her husband just days before her legal status was set to expire, with the couple believing that would allow them to begin the process of adjusting her immigration status. However, months later, both were arrested during a domestic dispute that was eventually closed with no charges — but while her husband was released, Sousa remained in custody and was later transferred to ICE detention.
Since then, she has been moved between facilities and is currently being held in Jacksonville, with the couple only able to communicate through jail calls as they await progress on a pending immigration petition. An attorney says the timing of her marriage and expired parole complicates her case, and without further legal action, she may have to leave the country and continue the process from abroad. Her husband has traveled to protest and draw attention to her situation, saying he is willing to do whatever it takes to stay with her, even if that means leaving the U.S., as they continue to push for her release.