U.S. Army Reserve pilot Chris Busby says his wife, Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, was detained at an ICE office in Houston about 48 hours after they married in Austin. Velasquez, who arrived from Venezuela in 2021 and had a pending asylum claim, was denied bond on Jan. 9 and transferred to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe. The couple is pursuing relief through the military's Parole in Place program, but recent policy changes and a 2024 court ruling have limited eligibility and paused some adjudications.
Army Reservist Seeks Release of Newlywed Wife Held in ICE Detention After Routine Check-In
Chris Busby and Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez. (Chris Busby)
U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot Chris Busby says his wife, Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, was detained after a routine immigration check-in in Houston less than 48 hours after the couple married in Austin on Dec. 3. Busby, 28, who enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2015, has spent weeks pursuing options to secure her release.
What Happened
According to Busby, Velasquez, 25, walked into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Houston for a scheduled check-in and did not return. Her attorney says she was denied bond on Jan. 9 and transferred to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, about three hours from Austin.
Background
Velasquez arrived in the United States in 2021 from Venezuela and presented herself to immigration officials in Miami. She had an active asylum claim pending at the time of her detention and has no criminal record, the family says. In Austin she worked at a car wash, helped Busby with his small window-tinting business, and was studying to obtain a real estate license.
Conditions and Family Concerns
Busby and family members describe Velasquez's time in detention as stressful and degrading. Busby said she is housed with about 80 women who share a limited number of tablets to contact loved ones and attorneys, are allowed one visit per week, and receive poor-quality food. He added that the strain has visibly aged her: "The girl is 25 years old. She should not be looking like she's pushing 40."
“Stephanie is beautiful, she is smart, she’s amazing. If it means sacrificing myself or my career to free her, I will do it,” Busby said.
Legal Options and Policy Context
The couple is pursuing relief through the military-focused Parole in Place program, which can provide immigration protections to spouses of U.S. service members. However, the program has been narrowed in recent years. A 2024 court ruling ended a Biden-era expansion called "Keeping Families Together," which had extended eligibility to stepchildren. A notice on the program's website indicated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would stop accepting new applications and pause adjudication of pending ones; DHS did not immediately clarify whether current parole-in-place rules still apply to spouses.
Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez. (Chris Busby)(Chris Busby)
Separately, many Venezuelans who fled political and economic turmoil have applied for asylum or temporary protections such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Trump administration moved to rescind TPS designations for some Venezuelans as part of broader immigration restrictions; legal challenges to those actions remain pending in the courts.
Responses
Requests for comment to the Department of Homeland Security went unanswered. The Department of Justice declined to comment on Velasquez’s case.
Family Perspective
Velasquez's brother, Oscar, described her as ambitious and hardworking: she saved earnings, helped with the family business, and planned to start her own company. The family says returning to Venezuela is not an option due to continued instability and safety concerns.
For now, Busby says he is focused on doing everything he can to get his wife out of detention. "I’m trying my hardest but there is so little I can do," he said. "I just want her out of there."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
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