Why is it dangerous for foreigners with open immigration cases to fly? ICE agents are hunting them at airports.

An outrageous, but unfortunately typical case, which is written about The New York Times, perfectly illustrates why even law-abiding immigrants are now at risk of entering airports. Trump's anti-immigrant campaign has entered a new phase: agents are detaining people at airports without criminal records who are still facing immigration proceedings.

Brent Jindra, a tech salesman, voted for Trump three times, largely because of his hard-line immigration policy. He never imagined that these measures would affect his own wife.

Last month, just after landing in Burbank, California, a young man in a brown hoodie approached the couple and stopped Galina Bobreneva, Jindra's wife.

On the subject: Immigrant detentions have risen to 2000 a day, with operations being carried out quietly, without any high-profile raids.

"Congratulations, you have been selected for further screening," he said.

It turned out to be a federal agent. After about 15 minutes of questioning, he led Bobreneva out in handcuffs and placed her in an inconspicuous car.

"I'm just doing my job. Everything will be fine," the agent assured.

Thus began 16 days of ordeal: a night on the floor of a basement detention center in downtown Los Angeles, followed by two weeks in a detention center in the Mojave Desert and desperate attempts through lawyers to secure release.

Bobreneva was released on $35,000 bail and fitted with an electronic ankle monitor. She is now seeking to remain in the United States, challenging federal authorities' charges of visa overstay.

Bobreneva is a native of Russia. She has applied for a green card, and her lawyer maintains that she has never been in the country illegally.

Galina Bobreneva's story reflects a new phase in the policy of mass deportations: the detention at airports of people with expired visas but active immigration cases and no criminal records.

By law, such green card applicants can be detained if their visas have expired. However, previous administrations did not consider them to be in the country illegally. Now, the Trump administration is seeking to nearly double the number of daily detentions to 2000, resulting in thousands of people being arrested who believe they are acting within the rules.

"The whole appeal of the MAGA campaign was about fighting criminals crossing the border illegally," Brent, 48, emphasized. "Nobody gave this president a mandate to turn the guns on and start hunting down those who entered legally."

In response to questions about Bobreneva's case, the US Department of Homeland Security stated that she was an "illegal alien" and was detained because she "overstayed her authorized stay in violation of our country's laws."

"It is important to understand that a work permit or a submitted application alone does not grant legal status in the United States," the department explained.

Trump's immigration policies, which helped him return to the White House for a second term, are becoming a weak point for the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections. Even some of his supporters have begun to criticize the harsh actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Before his wife's arrest, Jindra considered himself a MAGA patriot.

"My wife didn't climb over a wall or swim across a river," Brent stated. "She walked through Trump's beautiful big front door."

Bobreneva arrived on a tourist visa at the end of 2021, extended it twice after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and applied for asylum in 2022. Galina met Jindra in March 2025, and they married in December.

"It was a fairytale love," Brent shared.

In April, Jindra filed a petition for a green card for his wife based on her marriage. The couple received official confirmation of acceptance of their documents, and Bobreneva underwent fingerprinting.

The newlyweds bought a "dream home" in Cleveland, Ohio, where Brent grew up, and planned to move there soon.

They planned a trip to the Sonoma County wine region for July 16th to celebrate Bobreneva's 40th birthday. Jindra booked a boutique hotel, pre-paid visits to three wineries, and hired a driver.

They couldn't get there.

On July 13, the couple flew from San Francisco to Burbank: Jindra was going to meet with clients, and Bobreneva was going to see friends.

When people in civilian clothes approached them at the airport, the couple initially thought it was a prank.

"When the agent showed the ICE badge, it became clear it was real," Brent added.

He immediately called their immigration lawyer, but agents refused to speak to him. Bobreneva was taken to a separate room, and her husband was left in the lounge under the supervision of Burbank Airport police.

Inside the premises, Galina was told that she had overstayed her visa.

"I was absolutely sure it was a mistake," she said.

Bobreneva explained that she was in the process of obtaining a green card and showed documents.

When the agent pulled out handcuffs, Galina was shocked. She asked for her wedding ring and jewelry to be given to her husband. Afterward, she was taken away with the promise that her husband would know where to find her.

"The American citizen stood and watched as his wife was taken away, and had no idea where she was being taken," Brent lamented.

The white SUV drove off into the darkness. Bobreneva was left alone with the two men and, she says, worried about her safety the entire way to the ICE center.

She was placed in a cold room with several other prisoners. She recalls an elderly woman in her 70s with diabetes who asked for insulin but received no help. Bobreneva curled up on the floor under a foil blanket.

About 18 hours later, she was shackled, her belt, and wrists were cuffed, and she was placed in a nondescript van with other detainees. The entire drive to the Adelanto Detention Center was bumpy in the heat.

According to Galina, she “felt like a piece of meat, not a human being.”

By the time she was given a blue prison uniform and assigned to the bottom bunk, L63, in the women's block, it was already five in the morning. Half an hour later, as she was beginning to drift off, the announcement over the loudspeaker for roll call and breakfast lineup came.

Lack of sleep became a constant. The lights were never turned off. The guards' radios crackled around the clock. On her birthday, Galina bought chocolate from the prison store and shared it with her cellmates from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Armenia.

At the detention center, she was struck by the neglect, dirt, and people driven to despair.

There were seven showers for 120 women, only four of which were operational. Drinking water was in short supply. Patients were denied care until their condition became so severe that they required hospitalization. These statements align with the allegations in the federal lawsuit.

GEO Group, the company that manages the center, declined to comment on Bobreneva's complaints and referred all questions to ICE.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security stated: "Any allegations of substandard conditions at the ICE detention center in Adelanto are false. All detainees are provided with food, water, medical care, and the opportunity to communicate with family and attorneys."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to questions.

"You become a number. No one cares about you. There's a complete lack of empathy," Galina described her experience.

Brent visited his wife three times a week when allowed and tried to secure her release.

Two weeks have passed.

Their attorney, Patrick Valdez, secured a bail hearing scheduled for July 28. Bobreneva was released on July 29 on $35,000 bail, with an electronic bracelet and an obligation to appear at an ICE office in San Francisco on August 5.

The day before this visit, Galina barely touched the crab cakes at a Redwood City seafood restaurant during dinner. She hadn't slept well and was afraid she'd be detained again.

"I never thought it would be so easy to take away a person's freedom," the Russian woman concluded.

Brent was also nervous and stated: “We live in fear in my own country.”

Early in the morning, the couple stood in a line outside the immigration building that stretched for an entire block. Bobreneva and her lawyer only entered the building two hours later.

They left the building with the obligation to appear again on September 7.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

The couple returned to Redwood City. The dining room table was littered with unopened birthday presents, deflating balloons, and a vase containing two dozen wilted roses.

“I can’t celebrate anything,” Galina concluded the conversation.

The first court hearing is scheduled for October 22, but the case will take months to be heard.

With an electronic bracelet, she is limited to a small radius of movement.

Last Sunday the couple went to the ocean.

As Brent reported, Galina “enjoyed her freedom – all 120 kilometers of it.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

DHS bought $464 million worth of deportation planes but can't use them.

ICE will purchase stun gloves for its agents that can deliver painful electric shocks.

What to do if you're targeted by ICE: A step-by-step guide

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.