A woman says an officer approved her husband’s petition at her green card interview, but ICE agents took her away in handcuffs and ankle restraints

A woman says agents detained her at a San Diego immigration office, according to the Daily Dot, right after an officer approved the couple’s petition at her green card interview. She says ICE agents took her away in handcuffs and ankle restraints, an account the outlet stated she shared on TikTok. The report states the post carried the on-screen text “What happened when ICE arrested me at my green card interview.”

Her husband holds U.S. citizenship, and she says he and a lawyer came with her to the office, where she arrived at eight in the morning. She says she has lived in the country since age four and spent years, starting as a teenager, trying to settle her status. Early questions covered how the couple got together and the path to their marriage, she says.

As the interview wrapped up, she says, the officer called the evidence strong and approved the petition on Form I-130. USCIS describes that form as the way a citizen or permanent resident establishes a relationship with certain relatives who want to immigrate. The officer apologized, she says, explaining that more people were outside wanting a word with her.

What she says happened next

She says an agent told her he was aware she was no criminal, adding that he was “just following orders.” The agents gave her a moment to say her farewells and hand her things to her husband, she says. She describes being put in handcuffs and ankle restraints, then ending up at a federal building for about 24 hours.

She says a bulletin board displaying a roster of names led her to believe the arrest was planned, and she was released later. She says she has no criminal record, no earlier removal notices and no deportation proceedings, adding that the warrant used was administrative. Every detail here comes from her own account, as relayed in the coverage.

Reactions to the video were split. One commenter wrote, “They are arresting and deporting people who are doing it the right way,” while others said a pending green card bid does not cancel earlier immigration violations. Federal law lays out how immigration arrests work. Under 8 U.S.C. 1226, a person can be arrested on a warrant while a decision on removal is pending.

Generally, the person can remain in detention or be released on a bond of at least $1,500 or on conditional parole. Immigration regulations say a person can be taken into custody under Form I-200, a Warrant of Arrest, which only designated immigration officers may issue. ICE states on its enforcement FAQ that it does not need judicial warrants to make arrests. The page adds that people who violate immigration law are subject to arrest and detention regardless of their criminal histories.

The petition decision and a person’s admissibility are handled at different stages. USCIS calls filing and approving the form only the first step in helping a relative immigrate. Its policy manual says the beneficiary’s history or character is usually not relevant to the decision on the petition. If an officer sees grounds of inadmissibility that matter later, the officer documents them for review during adjustment of status or consular processing.