BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A local woman’s husband has been detained in Detroit for overstaying his visa.
The last 24 hours for Emma Thomas have been the longest of her life.
“That’s my new thing, I just cry and call, I call attorney’s, ICE detention centers,” she said.
Her husband Sam who is a resident of the UK is stuck, detained in Detroit while on his way here to WNY to spend the summer with Emma.
Emma says in December, the last time Sam came to visit, he was on an ESTA visa waiver program. The couple, who has been in the process of getting a green card splits their visits.
But Emma says she made a mistake, and when booking his trip back to the UK, didn’t account for the leap year, so Sam overstated his visit in the US by a day. Now, when Sam traveled here just last night, he was detained at a facility in Detroit.
Emma says she has no idea what facility her husband is staying at in Detroit and says all she knows is he’s being sent back to the UK tonight.
She’s called elected officials like Congressman Brian Higgins for help. Higgins office tells 7 Eyewitness News it is looking into this.
As for the fun summer she was hoping to have with her husband, she says that won’t happen, and now the worst case scenario is Sam could be banned from the US for up to five years.
