Green card interviews in the US no longer feel safe for many families. You walk in hoping for approval and instead risk leaving in handcuffs. ICE now enters interview rooms and detains applicants on the spot, turning what should be a legal process into a terrifying experience.
Arrests Begin Without Warning
Detentions reportedly started around November 12. Most cases come from San Diego, but fear has spread across immigrant communities in other cities. You no longer view interviews as formal paperwork checks. You now see them as unpredictable encounters with enforcement officers.
Marriage Checks Turn Into Detention
You attend interviews to confirm your marriage, not to be arrested for past visa issues. Yet applicants who once overstayed or made paperwork mistakes now face detention. ICE no longer limits action to court orders. Officers detain people inside government offices without prior notice.
A Family Pulled Apart
One applicant described attending with his wife and their four month old baby. The interview ended with ICE taking his wife away. You can imagine the father pulling a crying child from her arms as officers walked out with her in custody.
Release Came Through Court Order
After weeks in detention, a federal habeas petition pushed the Department of Homeland Security to approve her green card. She returned home just before Thanksgiving. Freedom arrived, but the shock did not leave the family. The damage stayed.
Not an Isolated Case
This is no rare event. ICE also arrested immigrants on wedding anniversaries and detained a diabetic mother. Families who followed every legal step now feel hunted. You no longer know when legality stops offering protection against sudden detention.
Indian Immigrants Feel the Same Fear
Indian students and workers recognise this pattern. Visa delays, terminations, and sudden denials already shattered lives. Green card arrests now add another layer of fear. You sense the same uncertainty that follows every policy shift without warning.
Lawyers Raise Alarms
Immigration lawyers say ICE made no public announcements. Many believe this is an unofficial policy shift. Some even point at internal pressure to increase arrests. You see confusion everywhere as officials act without transparency or clear guidance.
Families Now Take Precautions
People warn you not to attend interviews alone. Lawyers now feel necessary, not optional. Families once confident in the process now prepare for the worst. Trust has collapsed and interviews now feel like calculated risks, not milestones.
