"This is not an isolated case, because like this marriage, in which one spouse is undocumented and the other is a U.S. citizen, there are 1.4 million mixed-nationality couples who live in fear of being separated. Separation, however, has become a lesser evil in many cases, given the treatment received by those who end up in ICE custody. Many couples prefer to continue their relationship long-distance rather than enter the uncertain process of detention and deportation."
"Neftali made the difficult decision to self-deport because the prospect of being detained was more frightening than returning to the country he left more than two decades ago. Before this administration, our greatest fear was deportation and separation. But last year, based on what we were told, it became clear that detention would be the real, most serious, and most terrifying problem."
Julie Moreno returned from a trip to Mexico on October 7. On the outbound journey four days earlier she had been accompanied by her husband, Neftali Juarez, but she returned alone because Neftali remained in Mexico to avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An estimated 1.4 million mixed-nationality couples face the risk of separation. Many couples now view long-distance relationships or self-deportation as preferable to the prospect of detention. Reports describe overcrowding, mistreatment, and disappearances in ICE custody. Julie is a 47-year-old U.S. citizen from New Jersey; she married Neftali, 45, in 2011 after meeting in New York in 2008.
Read at english.elpais.com
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