A woman originally from Thailand was detained by immigration agents while attending an interview to adjust her immigration status in San Diego.

Her husband, a Marine veteran, said the situation left him bewildered and deeply affected, while his legal team attempts to reverse the process, which was suspended almost from the beginning.

Detention During the immigration interview

Chanidaphon Sopimpa attended an official permanent residency appointment accompanied by her husband, Samuel Shasteen, at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) facility. There, according to her attorney Derek Poulsen's testimony to Newsweek, she was intercepted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and detained immediately after the meeting.

The arrest occurred last month, and Sopimpa has been in custody at the Otay Mesa Detention Center ever since. According to her attorney, the city has seen a recent increase in detentions during Green Card interviews, which is uncommon for spouses of U.S. citizens who entered the country legally.

Official stance and reasons for the arrest

According to statements provided to Newsweek, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Sopimpa entered the United States in 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa and overstayed her authorized period of stay.

Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin reiterated that initiating a residency process “does not grant legal status” and that, therefore, the detention was justified under current regulations. ICE also noted that her irregular immigration status was the direct cause of the arrest. Although there is no additional criminal record, authorities maintain that overstaying constitutes a sufficient immigration violation to justify her detention. Chanidaphon's Life in the United States: Sopimpa arrived from Thailand three years ago and remained in the United States after her visa expired, while building a new life in San Diego. According to KNSD, she met Shasteen in 2022.Shortly after he lost his wife to cancer, which marked the beginning of a relationship they both described as genuine and stable. The couple married and began the formal process to obtain a green card, convinced they met all the requirements. Their lawyer pointed out that, historically, cases of spouses of U.S. citizens who entered legally do not usually result in arrests, especially when a legitimate marriage and no criminal record are demonstrated. Since his detention, the family has been trying to maintain contact while their defense prepares a bail application. The lawyer also explained that, due to the arrest, the immigration process must be restarted virtually from scratch, which adds more uncertainty to the process. A Future on Hold While awaiting answers, Shasteen says he feels “betrayed,” noting that as a veteran he dedicated his life to serving his country and now faces a situation he never imagined. Sopimpa's legal team will seek his release and the resumption of the immigration process, although the process could take months.