Canadian Woman Detained by ICE for Over 3 Months in Nightmare of Legal and Immigration Issues

A Montreal native was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for over 3 months, despite having a non-immigrant visa for special skills. Her family says they were denied an extension due to a technical reason, and now her finances are being stretched as they navigate the legal and immigration systems. The US has ramped up deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, targeting students and sending people to notorious prisons.

A Montreal native, Paula Callejas, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over three months despite holding a non-immigrant visa for special skills. Her family claims that her detainment has been a financial and emotional strain, as they navigate the complex legal and immigration systems in the United States.

Callejas, a 45-year-old entrepreneur, was trying to expand her swimsuit business in Florida after taking time off to care for her ailing father in Canada. Her family believes she was in the United States on a non-immigrant visa for people with special skills that was set to expire in March. They applied for an extension in February, but it was denied due to a technical reason involving the color of ink used to sign the document. After reapplying, Callejas was arrested for battery, maintaining her innocence, and subsequently taken into ICE custody [1].

The ICE spokesperson stated that Callejas entered the United States on a non-immigrant visitor visa and violated the terms of her admission. She is currently in custody pending completion of her immigration proceedings. The family has spent significant financial resources on legal representation, with one lawyer alone costing $5,000 to submit paperwork [1].

The detainment has caused significant mental health issues for Callejas, and her family is struggling to provide financial support. Her next appearance for the criminal charge is scheduled for Monday, and her family hopes to resolve the case so that she can leave the United States voluntarily to complete her visa application from Canada and continue her dreams of a swimwear line [1].

The detainment of Callejas comes amid an increase in deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, who has targeted students and sent people to notorious prisons. Texas has also bolstered its border security and immigration enforcement efforts by signing two new bills. Senate Bill 8 requires all Texas sheriff's offices to enroll in the 287(g) program, which allows deputies and jailers to work with ICE to remove people in the country illegally. Senate Bill 36 creates a division of Homeland Security within Texas's Department of Public Safety to consolidate border operations and intelligence resources [2].

The Department of Homeland Security has resumed third country deportations, deporting five immigrant detainees to the small nation of Eswatini in Southern Africa. The men, from Vietnam, Laos, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen, have criminal backgrounds ranging from murder to sexual assault. ICE has put out new guidance that its employees are allowed to deport migrants to countries that are not their own in as little as six hours, without assurances from the third country that they “will not be persecuted or tortured” [3].

References:
[1] https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/celebrities/2025/07/19/family-of-canadian-woman-detained-by-ice-says-its-a-nightmare
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-gov-greg-abbott-signs-2-new-bills-border-security-immigration-enforcement/
[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-admin-restarts-third-country-deportations-flight-eswatini-rcna219041