U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot Chris Busby became a recent victim of ICE’s harsh tactics after his newlywed wife was detained within hours of their marriage. The 28-year-old tied the knot with Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez on December 3, 2025, in an Austin courthouse and received their marriage certificate as well.
The woman happened to be a Venezuelan asylum seeker in Texas. Unfortunately, Stephanie ended up becoming a victim of ICE detention shortly after her wedding.
According to NBC News, less than 48 hours after she walked down the aisle, Stephanie was detained by the federal agency during a routine check-in screening in Houston. She had no criminal record and only a pending asylum case, which had a court date pending for 2027.
A native of Venezuela, Stephanie had arrived in the U.S. back in 2021 with the hope of starting a new life. She wanted stability, far away from the socio-political upheaval in her land. Right after immigrating, Stephanie had presented herself to Miami’s immigration officials before settling into her life in Austin.
She picked up a job in a local car wash and took classes in the meantime to bag a real estate license. Stephanie met Chris in March, and the duo immediately knew they were meant to be together.
Incidentally, their families were not aware that the couple were planning to marry, and Busby wanted to plan their wedding as a surprise for the same reason.
After getting detained, she was transferred to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, which is three hours from Austin, where her husband lived. As per her husband, Chris Busby, his wife had been living in desolate circumstances in her detention.
Her hair has thinned, and she is made to sleep fitfully in a bunk bed along with 80 other women. The other detainees are made to share seven tablets through which they get access to contact their loved ones. He can visit Stephanie only once a week, and the food that she’s given is barely edible.
Why is she detained. ?????
U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot Chris Busby, 28, and Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, 25, went to an Austin courthouse to get their marriage certificate on Dec. 3.
Roughly 48 hours later, Velasquez entered a Houston Immigration and Customs Enforcement… pic.twitter.com/DdlqDK8llV
— Sd Dehays (@SdDehays) January 18, 2026
Chris Busby, in his statement, added, “I’ve never met anyone like her. She came here and just wanted to be the best. Stephanie is beautiful, she is smart, she’s amazing. If it means sacrificing myself or my career to free her, I will do it. The girl is 25 years old. She should not be looking like she’s pushing 40.”
While Stephanie’s husband has not given up on freeing her from the clutches of ICE, it has not reduced the amount of uncertainty that awaits the young girl’s future. Considering the tense relationship between Venezuela and the U.S. at the moment, the couple is forced to believe in Hail Mary resources as a last-mile effort.
This includes a form of having a military parole-in-place program, which will provide legal protection for spouses lacking U.S. citizenship.
Stephanie Velasquez came to the United States from Venezuela seeking asylum, according to her husband, Christopher Busby, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army Black Hawk pilot.
Busby said she applied for asylum, had a court date set for 2027, and was attending yearly ICE check‑ins.… pic.twitter.com/aAtFQ2zlVB
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) January 18, 2026
On the fateful day of her ICE detention, Stephanie was studying for her real estate exam on the way in her car. The test was scheduled for next week.
For her brother Oscar, the breakdown of events has been more traumatic because he, too, feels scared of detention the minute he decides to step out. In his words, “We left to have a better future, more opportunities. Now, if we go outside, we could be stopped by ICE.”
President Donald Trump recently moved to revoke TPS for Venezuelans, a policy in place since 2023. Meanwhile, hundreds of Venezuelans have fled repression and crisis in recent years.
