Wife of Trump Voter Detained By ICE 'Trusts' President To Make US Safer
By Billal Rahman
ARepublican voter's wife who was detained by federal immigration authorities has told Newsweek in an exclusive interview that she still believes in President Donald Trump's immigration policies—even after spending eight weeks in detention.
Camila Muñoz is a Peruvian citizen who was detained after her visa expired while she was applying for permanent residency, and her husband said he supported Trump's deportation policy, despite her arrest.
Backing the president's tough approach to immigration enforcement, Muñoz said after her release: "I trust in the process that he's doing this to make the country a safer place, safe for me and for the immigrants."
Muñoz also told Newsweek about the harrowing experiences she encountered, including meeting mothers separated from their children while in detention, witnessing the poor conditions within the facility, and the overwhelming relief she felt when reunited with her husband.
Despite the hardships, she expressed her trust in the process and her acceptance of the outcome, her fate.
Trump Voter ICE Arrest
Bradley Bartell's alongside his wife Camila Muñoz before she was arrested by ICE agents. Bradley Bartell
Why It Matters
Millions of Americans backed Trump, drawn by his pledge to carry out large-scale deportations of migrants living in the U.S. without legal status, particularly those with serious criminal histories. However, as immigration enforcement ramps up across the country, there is increasing concern the administration is apprehending nonviolent offenders and migrants with no gang affiliations.
The White House has insisted that anyone residing in the country illegally is classified as a criminal under the administration's hard-line policies. "If an individual is overstaying their visa, they are, therefore, an illegal immigrant residing in this country, and they are subject to deportation," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a January news conference.
The hard-line interpretation has led to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehending legal permanent residents under Trump's mass deportation scheme. Munoz, in her interview, reflects the feelings of many migrants without legal status in the U.S, that they agree with the aims of Trump's policies and just want acceptance to live safely alongside U.S. citizens, free from fear of gangs and criminals.
What Happened To Camila Muñoz?
Read more U.S. Politics
Father Living in US for 30 Years Detained by ICE Over Driver's License
California Could Ban ICE From Public Schools
Third Grade Student Arrested by ICE Sparks Mass Protest
Donald Trump Says He Loves Idea of Sending Americans to El Salvador Prison
Muñoz arrived in Wisconsin Dells in 2019 on a work-study visa. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she couldn't return home, and her visa expired. During this time, while working in farming and hospitality, she met Bartell, who gave her his phone number on a scrap of paper—though she initially threw it away.
A few days later, the two reconnected on Facebook, and their relationship quickly became serious. They eventually got married, but pandemic restrictions prevented them from having a honeymoon.
In February, Muñoz and Bartell traveled to Puerto Rico for their long-awaited honeymoon. However, upon returning to the U.S. mainland, immigration agents stopped Muñoz and questioned her citizenship status. When she explained that she was not a U.S. citizen but was in the process of securing a green card, the agents detained her.
What Is It Like In ICE Detention?
She remained in detention for about eight weeks, unsure what would happen next. The conditions, she said, were challenging to live in.
The food was not fresh or nutritious enough and the overall environment felt inadequate, she said.
But what affected her most was the emotional toll of living among other women who had been locked up by immigration authorities with children waiting for them at home.
"I cannot imagine how the other women are facing detention with their kids outside waiting for them," Muñoz said.
"It's something that got me scared, meeting women who were like six, seven, or eight months in detention," she said.
"I trusted in the process at the beginning, but the first couple of weeks were scary because Trump and the government were changing the rules of immigration every week."
"It's a good time to go and visit people and check how the conditions are down there."
Reunited
After being released, she was reunited with Bartell. The pair described the joy of being together again.
Bartell told Newsweek in an interview that it is "great" to be reunited. "It's a huge relief after eight weeks of being separated," he said.
And Muñoz agreed—but said her focus had shifted after living among women trapped in the immigration system.
"I feel so happy because I'm next to my husband. But at the same time, it's a sour feeling. It's a sour taste because now that I was in detention, I met so many other women with different cases. I'm focusing on them. I'm trying to put my attention on those women instead of just victimizing myself," she said.
The experience left her unhappy with the pace of immigration court proceedings, which are severely backlogged, with more than 3.7 million cases pending, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Asylum-seekers often wait years for a decision. There is broad political consensus on the need to add judges and staff to help reduce the caseload.
Muñoz expressed her disappointment about the immigration detention process. In the U.S, if someone is arrested by ICE, they are now often placed in detention while their case is being processed. And, the decision about whether someone will be deported or allowed to stay in the country is not made immediately. Instead, it is left up to a judge who will review the case and make a ruling, which takes time.
Some would rather know their fate, even if it means being deported sooner rather than later, it seems.
"I was feeling really frustrated because if you want to get deported or something, you still have to wait for the judge. They will determine if you are getting deported or continuing detention," Muñoz said.
"You're stuck in detention because you have to wait till they decide," she said.
Trust The Process
Despite all of this, Muñoz said she still believes in Trump's immigration policies—even going as far as calling the former president "super intelligent."
Sharing some views of Trump's faithful core supporters, which are disputed by many Americans, she said: "He's like one of the most intelligent people in America. We can tell because of all his good business and all the achievements that he has."
"I'm pretty sure he's smart and knows what he's doing," Muñoz said.
"I was scared that any of those gang members or murderers that are coming to the country without any authorization would attack me or my family."
She said she now understands the need for a secure process but wishes it moved more quickly.
"If this is a process to make the country a safer place, I understand him. The only thing that I will ask of the government is to be quicker with the process."
Muñoz is no longer afraid of deportation—at least not immediately.
"I was scared because that was an option, but now that I'm out, my paperwork is still in process and pending. I'm not scared to get deported right now. And if that's the option I have, I have to just accept what the government is telling me, "Muñoz said.
Bartell, a committed Trump voter, hasn't changed his political views, even after his wife's detention. But he acknowledged flaws in how the administration's policies are being carried out.
"They're kind of just doing a broad sweep on it, which is unfortunate,"
Yet, he defended his vote for President Donald Trump, who was elected based on his promise to remove millions of undocumented immigrants.
"It hasn't really made me change my mind. The problem is, over the last four years, a lot of individuals have come here without registering with the American government.
"We don't want gang members or cartel members here and stuff like that. Gang and cartel members are not going to turn themselves in to be deported."
In his view, the immigration system worked correctly in their case.
"They weren't looking to deport her at all. When we went and saw the judge, they talked about our case in particular, since we're married and we're in the process, they don't have any concerns about her leaving the country on her own or anything like that," Bartell said.
"A lot of what this immigration case is showing is that she's a valuable member of society. She's not going to cause any trouble, you know, and she wants to be a legal permanent resident."
"There's always concern in the back of your head, there's always a possibility, but the judge's words have given a good amount of reassurance that we'll be able to continue this process as we were before her detention."
Muñoz backs legal pathways to immigration and said that people without criminal records are more than welcome to come to America.
"If they're looking for asylum, bring the proof that you're looking for asylum, and it can show the government that you're coming to do the right thing to work."
What Happens Next
Muñoz has a court hearing on April 16 before an immigration judge.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings