Imagine walking into your marriage-based green card interview expecting to walk out with hope, relief, and a path to lawful permanent residence. Instead, federal agents walk in, handcuff your spouse, and take them away in front of you.
This is not a rumor. This is happening right now inside USCIS offices.
Across California — especially San Diego and San Francisco — immigrants attending marriage-based green card interviews are being detained by ICE inside the same building where they came to follow the law. And the worst part? Most couples don’t even know ICE is present until the very end of the interview.
This shocking coordination between USCIS and ICE has already torn families apart. We need you to know exactly what's going on — and how you can protect yourself.
A New Tactic: ICE Hiding Inside Your Interview
Immigration attorneys have reported a disturbing pattern:
For the first part of the green card interview, you sit with a USCIS officer as if everything is normal. You answer questions about your marriage, provide documents, and go through the routine process thousands of couples experience every year.
But behind the scenes, ICE is watching.
USCIS officers are reportedly communicating with ICE in real time during the interview. And if ICE believes the immigrant spouse has overstayed a visa or fallen out of status — even if they entered legally and have a clean record — ICE agents wait until the end of the interview and then move in.
Several immigrants have been handcuffed, detained, and taken directly to immigration detention centers.
These are spouses of U.S. citizens.
These are people who filed paperwork, paid the fees, passed background checks, and did everything the law requires.
Yet they were arrested at the very moment they expected to be approved.
USCIS Officers Themselves Are Quitting Over This
Reports indicate that multiple USCIS officers in San Diego have quit rather than participate in this practice. Even they believe it violates the mission of USCIS — which is to process immigration benefits, not run traps for ICE.
There has been no public announcement, no new policy, no published rule, and no chance for the public to comment.
This tactic appears to be happening in secret, without transparency, and without giving immigrants fair warning.
Real Couples, Real Families Torn Apart
Here are just some of the cases reported:
A British wife was handcuffed moments after what should have been the final step in getting her green card. Her U.S. citizen husband had to peel their infant out of her arms as ICE took her away.
A German husband, fully eligible under the law, was surrounded by masked agents in bulletproof vests and detained in front of his wife.
A Mexican spouse, with no criminal record, was arrested even as the USCIS officer interviewing her began to cry.
These arrests—dozens since mid-November—have happened to people who:
- Entered legally
- Filed all applications correctly
- Passed medical and biometric checks
- Submitted proof of a real marriage
- Have no criminal history
- Were fully eligible for a green card, even if their visa expired
Under U.S. law, if someone enters legally—even if their visa expires—they can still apply for a green card through marriage. This has been true since 1986.
But ICE is now detaining them anyway.
The Government Knows This Is Wrong — And They Are Afraid of Being Sued
In one case, when an attorney filed a federal lawsuit to stop a deportation, USCIS suddenly approved the immigrant's green card within hours and ICE released them.
That is not an accident.
That is fear.
The government knows this tactic will not survive federal court review. They know it has no legal foundation. They want to avoid a judge ruling against them — because that would force them to stop.
Which means:
If immigrants don’t fight back, this will continue.
What This Means for You
If you or your spouse has:
- Ever overstayed a visa
- Entered through the Visa Waiver Program
- Had any past immigration issue
- Stayed in the U.S. waiting for USCIS to process your case
- Delayed filing due to backlogs or financial hardship
You may be at high risk during a marriage-based green card interview.
This is especially true in California, where this tactic is already active.
Even if you did nothing wrong.
Even if your marriage is real.
Even if you qualify under the law.
ICE may still try to detain you.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Family
At Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., we have seen too many people trust the system only to watch it turn against them.
Here are the steps every immigrant should take before attending a marriage-based green card interview:
- Never go to the interview without an experienced immigration attorney.
Most detained spouses did not have a lawyer present.
- Have your case reviewed for any issue that ICE could use as “probable cause.”
Even small issues — including old overstays — may trigger ICE involvement.
- Prepare a plan in case detention happens.
Families with a plan get their loved ones out much faster.
- Consider whether filing a legal strategy before the interview can protect you.
Some immigrants may qualify for actions that block removal, protect against detention, or challenge unlawful ICE behavior.
Do Not Walk Into a Green Card Interview Blind
You deserve safety.
You deserve stability.
You deserve a fair process.
Immigration benefits should not become traps. Families should not be ambushed. And no spouse should be handcuffed at the interview meant to unite them.
If you are planning a green card interview — or if you are worried ICE could use your interview to take you — now is the time to take action.
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. can help you:
- Identify risks ICE might use against you
- Strengthen your case before the interview
- Prepare strategies to prevent or respond to detention
- Fight back if the government tries to take you into custody
You do not have to face this alone.
Your safety at your interview depends on preparation.
If you want to protect yourself and your family from being detained at a green card interview, reach out to us immediately.