Texas Woman Detained by ICE After Immigration Appointment

Joyce Basele, a 64-year-old caregiver from Houston, Texas, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 18, 2026, following a routine immigration appointment. Basele, who entered the U.S. on a visitor visa in 1995 and later on an R2 visa in 2005, faces $1.8 million in civil immigration penalties. Her attorney, Leslie Giron Kirby, stated that Basele had attended her immigration appointments for over 14 years without missing any. A final removal order was issued in 2011 after her divorce from her husband affected her immigration status. Basele was placed under an order of supervision in 2012, allowing her to remain in the U.S. with regular check-ins. A stay on her deportation order was issued on July 23, 2026, and a humanitarian petition for her remains active. Her employer, Maureen Mendrek-Laske, expressed concern over the situation, stating, 'I don't think this is really what I voted for if I was voting for immigration reform.'