We had done everything they asked us to do, and despite all that, they arrested her
In San Diego, a quiet but consequential shift has taken place at the threshold between aspiration and belonging: people who entered the United States lawfully and sought to formalize their place here through green card interviews are being arrested mid-process by immigration enforcement agents. Beginning November 12, ICE began coordinating with USCIS offices to detain visa overstays during routine appointments — a practice that entwines the machinery of legal immigration with the machinery of enforcement in ways that may discourage the very compliance it claims to reward. The human cost is already visible in separated families and handcuffed spouses, and the legal cost may follow in a system that depends on applicants showing up.
- ICE agents began appearing inside USCIS offices in San Diego on November 12, arresting visa overstays mid-interview — a setting previously understood as a space for processing, not prosecution.
- At least five married applicants with no criminal records were detained in a single week, including one case where a pregnant woman was handcuffed in front of her husband, and another where a six-month-old infant was present during a parent's arrest.
- Immigration attorneys are fielding urgent calls from clients afraid to attend their own scheduled interviews, and the chilling effect is already reshaping how families weigh the risk of pursuing lawful permanent residency.
- ICE framed the arrests as targeted national security operations, but legal experts warn the practice undermines the immigration system itself — denied cases and abandoned applications may multiply if eligible applicants simply stop showing up.
- The operations appear confined to San Diego for now, but the precedent is set, and the question of whether USCIS and ICE are functioning as partners in enforcement rather than separate institutions is no longer theoretical.
On November 12, immigration enforcement agents began appearing at USCIS offices in San Diego during green card interviews, arresting individuals for overstaying their visas — people who had entered the country legally but remained beyond their authorized period. Attorney Saman Nasseri confirmed that five of his clients were detained in a single week. None had criminal records. All were married to U.S. citizens and seated for routine interviews when ICE took them into custody.
The timing points to coordination. Arrests began one day before an internal ICE memo reportedly authorized such operations, and ICE confirmed the detentions as part of targeted enforcement prioritizing national security and public safety. Attorney Habib Hasbini noted the operations appear concentrated in San Diego, with no similar reports from other counties.
What has shaken families and attorneys alike is not just the arrests, but the setting. Some detentions happened in front of spouses and children. Stephen Paul watched his pregnant British wife, Katie, handcuffed during their appointment. 'We had done everything they asked us to do,' he said. A six-month-old infant was present in at least one other case.
Legal experts warn the practice may hollow out the immigration system it claims to enforce. Eligible applicants who fear arrest may simply not attend their interviews, resulting in denied cases and prolonged family separations — not because they broke the rules, but because following them became too dangerous. Across San Diego, attorneys report clients already asking whether it is safe to show up.
For now, the operations remain local. But the precedent has been established, and the deeper question — whether the agency processing immigration applications and the agency making arrests can operate in tandem without corroding the system's integrity — is one that families across the country are beginning to ask.
On November 12, immigration enforcement agents began showing up at USCIS offices in San Diego during green card interviews. They were there to arrest people for overstaying their visas—individuals who had entered the country legally but remained after their authorized time expired. The practice has alarmed immigration attorneys and the families caught in it, who describe a coordinated operation that is separating spouses and deterring people from pursuing lawful permanent residency.
Attorney Saman Nasseri confirmed that five of his clients were detained in the past week alone. None had prior arrests or criminal records. All were married to U.S. citizens and sitting down for routine green card interviews when ICE agents took them into custody. "These are just cases where they entered legally and overstayed their visa," Nasseri told CBS 8. The detentions appear to be concentrated in San Diego; attorney Habib Hasbini, who has fielded numerous calls from arrested clients, noted that similar operations are not occurring in other counties.
The timing suggests coordination. Hasbini reported arrests beginning on November 12—one day before an internal ICE memo reportedly authorized such operations. ICE itself confirmed the detentions, framing them as part of "targeted operations that prioritize national security, public safety, and border security." The agency stated that being unlawfully present at a federal facility may result in arrest and encouraged people to use voluntary departure options like the CBP Home app.
What distinguishes these arrests from typical enforcement is the setting and the witnesses. Some detentions occurred during interviews in front of spouses and children. One case involved a six-month-old infant present when a parent was arrested. Stephen Paul described watching his pregnant British wife, Katie, handcuffed during their appointment. "We had done everything they asked us to do," he said, "and despite all that, they arrested her." The image of a pregnant woman in handcuffs, her husband watching, crystallizes the human rupture these operations are creating.
Legal experts warn that the practice may backfire on the government's own immigration system. If eligible applicants fear arrest during interviews, they may simply not show up. That means denied cases, prolonged separations, and families choosing to abandon applications rather than risk detention. The chilling effect is already visible in attorney offices across San Diego, where clients are now asking whether it is safe to attend their scheduled appointments.
The arrests raise fundamental questions about how USCIS and ICE coordinate, and whether the immigration court system can function when the agency processing applications is working in tandem with the agency making arrests. For now, the operations appear limited to San Diego. But the precedent has been set, and families are watching to see whether this becomes standard practice elsewhere.
Citações Notáveis
These are just cases where they entered legally and overstayed their visa.— Immigration attorney Saman Nasseri
We had done everything they asked us to do, and despite all that, they arrested her.— Stephen Paul, describing his pregnant wife's arrest during their interview
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would ICE arrest someone at a USCIS office during a green card interview? Aren't those two agencies supposed to be working toward different goals?
On the surface, yes—USCIS processes immigration benefits, ICE enforces immigration law. But what's happening in San Diego suggests they're now operating as a single enforcement apparatus. ICE is using the interview as a checkpoint.
But these are people who entered legally. They overstayed, sure, but they're trying to fix their status through the system.
Exactly. That's what makes this so destabilizing. You're supposed to be able to walk into a federal office and engage with the immigration system without fear of arrest. Once that trust breaks, people stop showing up. Cases get denied. Families dissolve.
The memo came after the arrests started. Does that mean ICE was already doing this before it was officially authorized?
That's the unsettling part. Hasbini reported arrests on November 12, and the memo came November 13. Either ICE was operating ahead of authorization, or the memo was retroactive cover. Either way, it suggests this wasn't spontaneous—it was planned.
What happens to the people arrested? Are they deported immediately?
That depends. Some may be released on bond, some may be held. But the immediate consequence is the same: the green card interview is over. The application is in limbo. And the family is separated, at least temporarily.
Is this legal?
That's what attorneys are now fighting over. ICE says being unlawfully present at a federal facility is grounds for arrest. But the question is whether USCIS offices should be treated as enforcement zones. There's no clear answer yet.