Related videos:
A federal judge ordered the release of Stephanie Kenny Velásquez, a 25-year-old Venezuelan citizen and wife of a United States Army reservist, on Monday after determining that the government violated her right to due process by detaining her.
Stephanie had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on December 5, 2025, just two days after getting married, when she attended a routine registration appointment at an immigration office in Houston, Texas, according to a report from Noticias Telemundo.
Her husband, Christopher Busby, 28 years old, is a reservist in the Army and a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, one of the most commonly used military aircraft by the U.S. armed forces.
The couple met in March 2025 and got married on December 3 of the same year, just 48 hours before Stephanie was arrested when she voluntarily presented herself to immigration authorities.
At the time of her arrest, Stephanie had a pending asylum case, had no criminal record, and regularly complied with her annual immigration check-ins as the spouse of a military service member.
He was even preparing for a real estate exam scheduled for the week following his arrest, which illustrates the normalcy of his life before detention.
After being arrested, she was first taken to the detention center in Conroe, Texas, and subsequently to the Houston Contract Detention Facility, where she remained for approximately four months while her husband publicly fought for her release.
His attorney, Javier Rivera, filed a habeas corpus motion with a hearing scheduled for March 30, 2026, and also arranged an interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding a family petition submitted by Christopher Busby.
The court order issued on Monday establishes a 48-hour deadline for Stephanie's release, allowing her to continue her immigration process without being detained.
Rivera celebrated the ruling as a validation by the federal court and announced that the legal team would continue with additional actions to regularize her client's immigration status.
Christopher Busby, who had been publicly denouncing the case for months without understanding how a routine administrative appointment had led to a prolonged detention, described the moment of his release as "overwhelming."
The case is part of a broader pattern of detentions of military families and individuals with pending immigration cases under the policies of the Trump Administration, which has intensified ICE operations even against those who voluntarily attend administrative appointments.
Veteran organizations, including the American Legion, have called for special protections for the families of military service members affected by these detentions, amid a series of similar cases that have sparked public controversy across the country.
Filed under: