Venezuelan woman held six months in ICE custody after domestic dispute call, then released
Apr 20, 2026·Location: Jacksonville, FL
Country of origin: Venezuela

Gabriela Lozano Sousa, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. legally in 2023 through a humanitarian parole program, married U.S. citizen Brandon Garrison in April 2025, believing it would put her on a path to legal residency. In October 2025, a domestic-dispute call brought local police to the scene, who turned her over to federal immigration authorities; no criminal charges resulted. ICE classified her as an 'arriving immigrant,' subjecting her to mandatory detention without a bond hearing, and she was held at a facility in Baker County, Florida. Her attorneys argued the classification was legally incorrect. The couple had filed an I-130 petition on her behalf, under review since November 2025. A federal judge dismissed her immigration case in spring 2026, and she was released after roughly six months in detention, though federal authorities retained 30 days to appeal, leaving her future status uncertain.
Timeline
Sources
- Venezuelan woman married to U.S. citizen remains in ICE custody despite case dismissal
- firstcoastnews.com
- FIVE MONTHS IN ICE DETENTION
open.substack.com·Mar 10, 2026·archived copy
- Venezuelan woman’s immigration case dismissed, but she remains in ICE custody
Yahoo News·Apr 20, 2026·archived copy
- Florida's ICE Office Leads the Nation in Arrests — Without the Headline-Grabbing Raids
latintimes.com·Aug 19, 2026·archived copy
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