In the midst of current deportation policies, there are stories of hope among immigrants, like that of Carlos Della Valle, who was released by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE).
“It’s a love story,” said Angela Della Valle, wife of Carlos, who was detained in Louisiana for 8.5 months after being detained in Pennsylvania. She is a US citizen, but her case is an example of thousands of people who do not obtain the Green Card for their partners.
She led her husband’s defense, through American Households United (AFU), of which she is a member. He even gained the empathy of Republican Senator Dave McCormick (Pennsylvania), who advocated for Carlos.
Angela and Carlos, who have been married for 24 years, also had the support of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), friends and allies in the community.
The couple lives in Downington, Pennsylvania, and has a son, Alessandro, who is studying at university. Carlos is a plant manager at an adhesive company, he paid his taxes annually and never received benefits from the government.
Carlos’ release came after continued pressure from AFU, ABIC, faith leaders, business owners, and a bipartisan group of congressional allies who joined Angela on Capitol Hill.
After his arrest, Carlos was in the prison known as Alcatraz, in Florida, but was later transferred to Louisiana.
Angela refers to the case as “a love story,” in reference to an article that the Miami Herald would publish precisely with that title, but affirms that the editors had a different opinion than the journalist who reported the case in Florida.
“I think he described it. He understood it best from the beginning. This is a love story. He was going to title his first article about us: ‘The American Love Story’. His editors thought otherwise, but it really is, because it’s the love story,” Angela said at a digital press conference last week.
However, she referred to the love that members of the community, congressmen and civil organizations expressed to her with their support.
“It’s the love story of other neighbors who take care of our house. Well, we haven’t been there,” she said.
Carlos’s defense was possible even though he was sent to a prison far from his community, far from his network of defense and support, a common ICE practice that various organizations have warned about, which complicates the defense of detained people.
The story of Carlos and Angela is equal to that of 1.5 million families, where some of the owners are undocumented. The majority (80.2%) live in the country; while in 11.4% of cases, one of the members lives outside the country, and 8.4% of these couples live outside the US, due to immigration complications, according to a recent AFU report.
The surprise of liberation
Carlos shared that it was a surprise to him when he was informed that he would be released. It happened when he was getting ready for a doctor’s appointment. He couldn’t believe I told him he was going to be free.
“I think that [la guardia] He told me at least three or four times before I knew exactly where he was from. I remember asking him if they were going to transfer me somewhere else. And she said: ‘Yes, you’re leaving.’ And then, you know, I asked him again, and he said, ‘Yes, you’re leaving,'” he recalled. “I packed everything I could, I was standing there looking at my stuff, you know, after seven months there, I think I had a lot more stuff than I thought.”
Carlos shared that he made friends in the confinement, whose phone numbers he had, written down in various papers, which accumulated over the months.
“I was happy and sad at the same time, knowing that I was going to leave the boys who, you know, have been, you know, at that moment, have been there for me,” he said, visibly moved. “It was shocking.”
Pastor Josh Gill of Central Presbyterian Church here in Pennsylvania was one of those who helped the couple.
“Carlos is from Downingtown. He is our neighbor and they have children of similar ages to my children,” said the grass. “And what I saw was that my congregation wanted to get involved right away.”
Carlos’ case is complex, since he reentered the US after being detained in Colorado, but he has no criminal history and his connection to the community is demonstrable.
