HUMBLE, Texas – A mother in Humble is seeking legal help after her husband was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in West Texas, leaving their family uncertain about his future.
Jose Navas has been in ICE custody since Sunday. His wife, a U.S. citizen, said he has lived in the country for 22 years and is currently working toward citizenship. She also said he has no criminal record, a fact confirmed by local records.
Navas moved to the U.S. from El Salvador 22 years ago. Over the past seven years, he and his wife started a family, including daughters ages 6 and 3 and a 1-year-old son.
“My husband is in Lubbock right now because of the big hailstorms,” she said. “He has a roofing business, and so he’s there to do roofing jobs. He was pulled over immediately by the sheriff for supposedly a traffic stop. Once he was called over, an unmarked car showed up with ICE agents who removed him and the other gentlemen with him, who are his roofers as well.”
Navas was turned over to ICE for not having a driver’s license and was later transferred to a detention center in Eden, near San Angelo.
“He says it’s completely packed full of so many people, obviously that they are just shoving in there. It’s a complete chaos. It’s a mess, he said, of all the people that are there who shouldn’t be,” Sakiah Navas said.
She told KPRC 2, “I’m fighting for him. I’m going to get you out. I am doing everything in my power. I know you feel helpless right now and you don’t know what to do except wait, but I am fighting every single second.”
When asked why Navas waited so long to apply for citizenship, Sakiah said, “I pushed for it years ago when she [their daughter] was born, almost seven years ago. He didn’t want it to look like that’s why he was married to me. Maybe part of his pride stood in the way. But never because he didn’t want to look like he was using his country for that.”
Sakiah Navas said she has spoken to her husband several times by phone and is currently consulting an attorney to determine the best course of action.
KPRC 2 reached out to ICE for more information on Jose Navas’ status but has not yet received a response.