Grazi Chiosque believes in rules, processes, and institutions. She works for the federal government and trusts that if procedures are followed carefully, the system will eventually function as intended. What she did not expect was that doing everything right could still leave her wife detained for months, not because a judge ordered her removal or a petition was denied, but because no federal agency would take responsibility for deciding her case.
“I know there are steps that you need to follow,” Chiosque told The Advocate. “But my greatest frustration is that we followed all those steps. And I feel like we did a little bit over and beyond those steps.” Chiosque, 29, lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and has worked at the Social Security Administration for nearly four years.
Her wife, Xiomara Suarez, 28, is a Peruvian national who entered the United States legally under humanitarian parole in December 2022. Suarez is currently detained at the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Southern California.
The couple married in February and filed in May to adjust Suarez’s immigration status, a process explicitly allowed under U.S. law for spouses of U.S. citizens. “She had an ICE appointment, like a regular check-in in September,” Chiosque said. “And that’s when she got detained.”
At the time, Suarez had no criminal record, no deportation order, and a pending marriage-based green card application through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. According to Chiosque, ICE acknowledged the paperwork but said detention was simply “part of the process.”
“I never heard about that,” Chiosque said. “You know, if you have a green card, that’s USCIS. You don’t have to see an immigration judge.” The months that followed were defined by confusion and contradiction. Suarez’s notice to appear initially claimed she had entered the country illegally, an allegation Chiosque says was false and later withdrawn.
“They lied,” she said. “They said that she entered here illegally. And she has a parole.” Even after the charge was dropped, Suarez remained detained. December 3 marked the most surreal moment. Suarez was scheduled for a USCIS spousal interview that morning and an immigration court hearing later that same day.
“The supervisor guaranteed me that USCIS does not have jurisdiction because she’s detained,” Chiosque said. But hours later, the immigration judge told Suarez the opposite: “No, I don’t have jurisdiction on the I-130. There’s nothing I can do.”
As Suarez remains in custody awaiting another hearing on January 28, advocates say her case reflects a broader pattern. Álvaro M. Huerta of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center described it as a “Kafkaesque nightmare,” blaming policies tied to Donald Trump and adviser Stephen Miller.
Chiosque has sought help from Sen. John Fetterman and Rep. Laura Friedman, but says no one can force a decision. “All we’re asking for is to approve the green card,” Chiosque said. “It feels like we’re begging for something that it’s our right.”
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