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Cuban woman married to Army veteran held nearly 10 months after ICE check-in

Sep 22, 2026·Location: Dallas, TX

Country of origin: Cuba

Cuban woman married to Army veteran held nearly 10 months after ICE check-in
Photo via Texas Tribune

Malena Chacón Santos, a 24-year-old Cuban woman who entered the U.S. legally in November 2024 through the CBP One app and applied for asylum, was detained by ICE in November 2025 after voluntarily attending a routine immigration supervision appointment in Dallas. She was transferred to the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, more than 175 miles from home, where she has remained for nearly 10 months. In February 2025, she married Juan Carlos Alvarez, a U.S. Army veteran who lives with disabilities including depression, anxiety and arthritis, and became stepmother to his three children. Alvarez drives three hours every Sunday to visit her, and the couple speaks by phone daily. Her attorney filed a federal habeas corpus petition in May 2026, which a judge denied with prejudice on August 4. Chacón Santos says she has no criminal convictions and is still awaiting a decision on her case.

Timeline

Sep 22, 2026—Reports detail she remains detained nearly 10 months later awaiting a decision on her case
Aug 4, 2026—Judge denied the habeas corpus petition with prejudice
May 1, 2026—Attorney filed a federal habeas corpus petition on her behalf
Nov 1, 2025—Detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in in Dallas and transferred to Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas
Feb 1, 2025—Married U.S. Army veteran Juan Carlos Alvarez and became stepmother to his three children
Nov 1, 2024—Entered the U.S. legally through the CBP One app and applied for asylum
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