Throughout seven months locked in immigration detention, 47-year-old Cielo could only see his wife and son through a glass window that was like a barrier between the living and the dying.
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Cielo holds his wife Mari's hand inside their Pima County, Arizona home in September. Cielo, who has lived in Arizona for nearly 30 years, was released from immigration detention in late August, after seven months in Florence Correctional Center. He was arrested in front of his home in February by heavily armed agents, despite having work authorization, complying with ICE check-ins and having no criminal record.
Mari shows her feeding tube port inside of her home in Pima County, Arizona in October. Mari, a U.S. citizen, can no longer eat or drink by mouth, after previous surgical cancer treatments. She used to be able to feed herself intravenously, using a nutrition mix that came in large bags, she said. But after Cielo was detained, Mari became too weak to lift the food bags herself and was losing weight. In May, her doctor gave her a feeding tube instead, so she could feed herself without Cielo’s help, she said.
Tucson immigration attorney Luis Campos, pictured talking to Homeland Security Investigations agents in February, said he hasn't been taking on bond cases lately because there's such a slim chance for success. After a DHS issued a policy memo in July that said anyone who crossed the border without inspection at any time is subject to mandatory detention, "I've told clients, don’t even bother spending your money to hire me" for a bond hearing, Campos said.Â
Long-time Arizona resident Cielo was released from ICE detention in late August, after seven months at Florence Correctional Center. He now must wear a GPS ankle monitor that’s causing blisters on his right ankle, he said. While detained, Cielo’s work permit was canceled, his driver’s license was rescinded and the family’s previously stable finances have been upended, he said. Now unable to work or afford necessities, “It’s like you’re a prisoner again. A prisoner at home, but still a prisoner,” Cielo said in Spanish.
Former assistant chief immigration judge Jennifer Peyton, who oversaw Chicago’s immigration court for almost nine years, was one of dozens of immigration judges fired by the Department of Justice via email in July, without explanation.
Mari said both she and her son, who has developmental delays, struggled with their health after Cielo was arrested by immigration agents in February and sent to Florence Correctional Center for seven months. Cielo was not only the household's breadwinner, but also caregiver to Mari and her adult son, she said. As her health declined while Cielo was detained, Mari felt sure she wouldn’t see her husband again. "If my husband had lasted another month in that place, I would have died," she said through tears. "It was a nightmare, and I really thought I would not hold him in my arms again."Â
Afghan couple Hijran Malik, 22, and his wife Lime, 19, are pictured here on their wedding day. The couple said they fled the Taliban in Afghanistan last year, reaching Pakistan together. Hijran continued to the U.S.-Mexico border, where in July 2024 he entered Arizona near Lukeville and surrendered to border agents to request asylum. He’s been detained at Eloy Detention Center for the 15 months since then, despite getting an order of removal in February. His asylum claim was denied due to lack of evidence, he said. Malik said doesn’t understand why he’s still detained and would rather risk his life in Afghanistan than stay at Eloy. "If I commit a crime in the U.S., okay, I deserve to be punished. But I'm fighting for a better life. I don’t deserve that," he told the Star on a video call from Eloy.
Mari, a U.S. citizen, left, poses with her husband Cielo inside their Pima County, Arizona home in October. Cielo, 47, came to Arizona from Sinaloa, Mexico, as a teenager, almost 30 years ago. He's among thousands of noncitizens without any criminal history who have been swept up in the Trump administration's ever-widening detention net.
Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team reporter Emily Hamer contributed data analysis and online graphics to this report.
Contact Arizona Daily Star reporter Emily Bregel at ebregel@tucson.com. On X: @EmilyBregel
