A former military member is departing the United States following the apprehension of her spouse by ICE officials during a green card application interview. Matheus Silveira, 30, was detailing his reasons for seeking a green card when ICE agents suddenly entered the room at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services facility in San Diego, California, detaining him for overstaying his visa. Matheus, employed as a delivery driver, was subsequently transferred to an ICE detention center, where he has remained in custody.
Now, Matheus and his wife Hannah, also 30 years old and a combat medic in the US army, have made plans to relocate to Brazil in the coming weeks, as Matheus has been granted voluntary departure from the US instead of facing deportation.
Expressing disillusionment with the current state of affairs in the US, Hannah voiced concerns about the safety of returning to her home country. She lamented the circumstances, feeling that the administration’s actions have made the country unsafe and expressing worries about the future political landscape. Hannah, a lawyer residing in San Diego, emphasized her disappointment in having to abandon everything she had built, citing her military service and feeling disconnected from the country she once called home.
Matheus initially arrived in the US in 2019 to study English before meeting Hannah in 2022. Following their engagement and marriage in August 2024, the couple had plans to establish a home and start a family, which were interrupted by Matheus’s arrest by ICE agents.
Describing their shattered dreams of settling down and launching a business together, Hannah recounted how they had intended to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to be closer to her family. However, the couple now feels unsafe in the US and is contemplating a permanent move to Brazil, Matheus’s home country.
Following Matheus’s detention during his green card interview on November 22, 2025, Hannah revealed that he had been advised by legal counsel that his participation in the green card process was acceptable despite his expired visa. She expressed concerns over the conditions in the detention facility, noting inadequate meals and overcrowded sleeping arrangements.
Due to a previous drunk driving charge, Matheus was deemed a danger to the community and denied bond, prompting the couple’s decision to depart for Brazil. Hannah’s sense of alienation from the US has solidified her uncertainty about ever returning, citing a broken system and an unrecognizable country as reasons for their departure.