‘She never went to jail’: US Marine Corps veteran pleads for aid after ICE arrests his wife during permanent resident card interview

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran is asking for assistance after his wife was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while he was applying for a permanent resident card.Diana Butnarciuc left the Eastern European country of Moldova in 2008 for a better life, according to her husband. She has 2 kids, works and pays taxes. However, she is currently being held at the Henderson Detention Center due to a deportation order filed in 2018.“I served my country and, you know, in this case, I thought the country would serve us,” Patrick Bach said of his wife. “She’s never been to jail or anything like that, so this is a whole new thing for her.”Bach and Butnachuk’s friends are desperate to free her from ICE detention. Baha said he filed an application in 2020 titled “I-130 Petition for Alien Relative.” It is a prerequisite for obtaining a green card.“I completely understand the policies and the rules and all of that, and that’s why we follow everything in terms of process,” Baha said. “As a Marine Corps veteran, I just need help.”Baha, his wife and their attorneys were in Las Vegas on Wednesday for an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where they had waited five years, but the tone quickly changed.“Five minutes into the interview, ICE came into the room and arrested her,” Baha said. “Confused, very emotional. We knew it was possible.”Although Butnachuk arrived in the United States in 2008 and applied for political asylum, an immigration judge denied her asylum application in 2018 and filed a deportation order, according to her family. However, she subsequently married Baja, which changed her immigration status.D4vd family members were ordered to travel to California to testify.Immigration attorney Darren Heyman said his client has no criminal record and doesn’t understand why ICE arrested her.“Otherwise she would have been entitled to a green card in this country. She entered the country legally. She has zero criminal record. We just hope she gets the same process that has been provided to so many people before,” Heyman said.Heyman said the Trump administration upended immigration norms, including in Clark County.“Unfortunately, what was typical is no longer typical,” Hyman said.Hyman said he hopes to get her out of the Henderson Detention Center so they can complete the process of obtaining a green card. Once she gets her green card, Hyman will ask a judge to vacate the deportation order.Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not yet responded to an email from 8 News Now regarding the case of Diana Butnarciuc.