How Trump voter lived his worst 'nightmare' as his immigrant wife landed up in jail

Bradley Bartell never imagined his honeymoon would end with his wife in an immigration detention centre. A proud supporter of Donald Trump, the Wisconsin man had always backed the president’s tough stance on immigration.

But now, those very policies have turned his life upside down. His wife, Camila Munoz, a Peruvian immigrant, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at the airport, leaving Bartell scrambling to get her released.

Despite everything, he remains unwavering in his support for Trump, insisting he has no regrets about his vote, Newsweek reported.

So, what led to Munoz’s arrest? And what is Bartell doing to bring her home? Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

Bartell and Munoz had just celebrated their honeymoon on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. However, during their return, ICE agents detained the Peruvian woman at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan and locked her in a detention centre.

According to Newsweek, Munoz first came to the US in 2019 on a work-study visa in Wisconsin Dells. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, international travel came to a standstill, and her visa expired. She continued working in farming and hospitality—where she met Bartell.

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After initially losing his phone number, Munoz later reconnected with Bartell on Facebook, and their relationship grew serious. They eventually married but postponed their honeymoon due to the pandemic.

She also embraced Bartell’s 12-year-old son as her own, Newsweek reported. The couple had spent two years planning their future, saving up to buy a home and start a family.

At the airport, an ICE agent asked Munoz, “Are you an American citizen?” She replied honestly—no, she wasn’t. She was from Peru. But she and her American husband had taken all the legal steps to obtain a green card, hoping she would eventually gain US citizenship.

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They never imagined that, despite her ongoing green card application , clean record, and history of paying taxes, she would get swept up in Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Before agents led her away, Munoz pulled off her wedding ring, afraid it might get confiscated. She shoved it into her backpack and handed it to Bartell.

He shook as he watched her disappear. He thought, “What the f— do I do?”

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‘It’s all been a nightmare’ says Bartell but still supports Trump

It took Bartell nearly a week to find out where his wife had been taken. Munoz is now being held in a private immigration facility in Louisiana, far from home.

Describing the emotional toll of watching his wife being detained, Bartell said, “It’s all been a nightmare really, taking things as they come and moving forward.” He added that they had hired an attorney but found the immigration system frustratingly slow. “The system for getting people through seems to be very inefficient, so it is taking longer than it should.”

Despite everything, Bartell still stands by his vote for Trump, even as the president pushes for a large-scale immigration crackdown. “[Trump] didn’t create the system,” he argued, “but he does have an opportunity to improve it. Hopefully, all this attention will bring to light how broken it is.”

Since sharing his story, Bartell has faced a wave of backlash. “I’ve received a lot of hateful messages, plenty of people saying we deserve this. And a lot of other insults,” he said.

He recently spoke to his wife over the phone and admitted he’s deeply worried about her. “Emotionally, I’m concerned for her,” he told The Independent. “It can’t be easy being trapped in a room with 100 other people. They don’t have anything in there. It’s just so wasteful.”

To help cover legal fees, Bartell has launched a GoFundMe campaign, aiming to raise $30,000. “This money will be used for legal support and the bond money for my wife,” he said, adding that the bond alone could be “upwards” of $10,000.

Trump’s mass crackdown on immigration

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has doubled down on his promise to carry out large-scale deportations, focusing on undocumented migrants—especially those with criminal records.

However, growing concerns suggest that enforcement efforts are expanding beyond the “worst first” approach Trump originally pledged. They have begun detaining nonviolent offenders and legal residents as part of the president’s deportation plans.

“ICE is really widening the net in a really chilling way in terms of who they are going after,” Jesse Franzblau, senior policy analyst for the National Immigrant Justice Center, told Newsweek. “People who generally don’t fit the profile of who they picked up before are being picked up now.”

Bartell has criticized ICE, calling for reform. “ICE never really has any information, it seems. The system needs to be revamped for better processes and communication between departments.” He also acknowledged that he has considered shifting to Peru if his wife is deported. “It has crossed my mind, but it would be very difficult for my son,” he said.

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The White House has maintained that anyone in the country illegally is considered a criminal.

“If an individual is overstaying their visa, they are therefore an illegal immigrant residing in this country, and they are subject to deportation,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in January.

While overstaying a visa isn’t a criminal offence—it’s an administrative violation that can result in a 10-year ban from re-entering the US. However, if an undocumented immigrant is married to a US citizen, they may qualify for a “waiver of unlawful presence” to stay legally.

Since Trump’s return to office, over 90,000 immigrants have been arrested by the agency.

With input from agencies