Houston \u2013 For more than a decade, Joyce Basele reported to immigration officials as required.<\/p>\n
When the 64-year-old Houston woman arrived at an ICE field office for another routine check-in on June 18, however, she was taken into custody.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s literally a part of our family,\u201d said Maureen Mendrek-Laske, whose four children Basele helped raise over the past 10 years. \u201cShe\u2019s really a maternal figure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Basele\u2019s case comes as federal data shows people without criminal convictions or pending criminal charges\u2014often described as non-criminal undocumented immigrants\u2014make up a growing share of ICE arrests in Texas.<\/p>\n
How Basele ended up in ICE custody<\/p>\n
Basele entered the United States legally from Kenya in September 2005 as the dependent spouse of her then-husband, who was in the country as a religious worker, according to her immigration attorney, Leslie Kirby.<\/p>\n
Kirby said Basele lost her dependent visa status following her divorce, something Basele did not realize at the time.<\/p>\n
Basele was later placed in removal proceedings and applied for asylum and withholding of removal. Although an immigration judge found her claims credible, Kirby said they did not meet the legal and evidentiary requirements for relief.<\/p>\n
Kirby said Basele\u2019s previous attorneys also missed critical deadlines during subsequent appeals. One person who represented Basele was not licensed to practice law in Texas, according to Kirby.<\/p>\n
Those unsuccessful appeals left Basele with a final order of removal. ICE later placed her under an order of supervision, allowing her to remain in the country as long as she regularly reported to immigration officials.<\/p>\n
For approximately 14 years, Basele attended those check-ins as required.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went to check in at the DHS, and they detained her at that moment,\u201d Mendrek-Laske said.<\/p>\n
Mendrek-Laske said Basele has no criminal history, pays taxes and maintains her certification as a nursing assistant. Basele has cared for both children and older adults while living in the Houston area.<\/p>\n
Basele also has a U.S.-citizen daughter whose petition to sponsor her mother was approved. However, Kirby said Basele cannot adjust her immigration status while the removal order remains in place.<\/p>\n
Texas ICE arrest data shows a shift<\/p>\n