Trump-Supporting Family Feels Betrayed After Canadian Mother Detained at Green Card Interview
The family of Cynthia Olivera, a Canadian national living in the U.S. since childhood, says they feel blindsided and betrayed after federal immigration authorities detained her during a green card interview in California — despite their past support for Donald Trump and his hardline immigration policies.
Cynthia’s husband, Francisco Olivera, a U.S. citizen and self-identified Trump voter, told KGTV: “We feel totally blindsided. I want my vote back.”
The 45-year-old mother of three U.S.-born children had been living in Los Angeles for decades, working, paying taxes, and contributing to her community. Although she lacked legal status, she had no criminal record — a fact confirmed by KGTV’s investigation into both federal and California court databases.
Cynthia arrived in the U.S. from Toronto at age 10. At 19, she was deported after being found without legal status at a border crossing in Buffalo. But within months, she re-entered the country via San Diego, where she says she was waved through without being asked for documentation.
In 2024, near the end of Joe Biden’s presidency, Cynthia was granted a temporary work permit and continued navigating the legal path to permanent residency. However, in November’s election, her husband supported Trump, believing the administration’s immigration enforcement would focus solely on violent criminals — a belief that has since been upended.
On June 13, during what they believed would be a routine green card interview in Chatsworth, California, ICE agents detained Cynthia. She was later transferred to a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, where she now awaits deportation.
Speaking via video call from the El Paso facility, Cynthia expressed disbelief over her treatment, highlighting how Trump’s immigration crackdown — which promised to focus on dangerous offenders — is impacting families like hers.
Her case joins a growing number that challenge the administration’s claims that it is only targeting criminals. Despite assurances, ICE maintains that anyone without legal status is considered deportable under the current policies.
A petition circulating online is now pleading for compassion and reconsideration in Cynthia’s case, as her family grapples with the unexpected consequences of the very policies they once endorsed.
