Ex-'Dancing With The Stars' Dancer Roberts Nemiro Detained By ICE After Green-Card Interview

Former Latvian "Dancing With The Stars" contestant Roberts Nemiro was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in San Francisco on July 28 after attending a scheduled U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) interview for a marriage-based green card, family members and officials say.

According to authorities, USCIS referred Nemiro's case to ICE because he had overstayed a visa. The couple says Nemiro entered the United States on a visa in October 2011 and that visa expired in August 2012. More than a decade later, Nemiro and his partner, Lydia, attended the USCIS interview with their immigration attorney as part of an adjustment-of-status process following their marriage.

DHS Emphasizes Criminal History; Family Disputes Narrative

The Department of Homeland Security highlighted what it described as a lengthy criminal record in defending the arrest. DHS said Nemiro has a conviction for aggravated assault with a firearm against a non-family member and listed prior arrests for battery, sexual battery, drug possession and other drug-related offenses. Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis released a statement calling Nemiro a "career criminal" and said ICE would move to deport him.

"This illegal alien from Latvia may have once had a career as a professional dancer on TV, but has turned into a career criminal with a rap sheet that includes aggravated assault with a gun, sexual battery, and drug possession," Bis said. "Despite California being a sanctuary state, ICE was able to arrest this criminal and get him off our streets, and he will soon be deported from our country."

Nemiro's partner, Lydia, disputed suggestions that they tried to avoid immigration procedures. On a GoFundMe page she created after his detention, Lydia wrote that the couple "followed the legal process to apply for a green card through adjustment of status after our marriage" and said they were stunned when ICE officers were waiting at the conclusion of the USCIS interview. Lydia described the days after his detention as "overwhelming" and said their attorneys were pursuing every available legal avenue to secure his release.

Detention, Legal Status, And Next Steps

Niemiro was reportedly transferred the day after his arrest to an ICE detention center in Bakersfield, California, and is currently in removal proceedings. DHS statements assert he will be deported; however, removal proceedings are ongoing and his immigration case has not reached a final outcome. Lydia's attorneys are seeking his release and exploring options to keep him in the United States.

Coverage notes that an arrest or listed arrest history is not proof of guilt for every allegation. Nemiro built a post-television career in the Bay Area as a ballroom dance instructor, according to his LinkedIn profile, which contributed to public interest in the case. The detention also arrives amid heightened scrutiny of ICE enforcement actions, especially arrests at immigration appointments.

Lydia's GoFundMe, titled "Support Robert & Lydia's Immigration Legal Fight," was created to help cover legal costs and had nearly reached a $40,000 goal. Her page asks for donations to pay for counsel and requests that people share the couple's story if they cannot contribute financially.

Note: Statements from DHS and from Nemiro's family reflect differing perspectives; the outcome of removal proceedings and any related criminal matters remain subject to the legal process.