Yadira Chavez has spent weeks trying to bring her fiancé, Giovani Flores Garcia, back home after he was taken into custody by immigration agents.
Garcia, who moved from Mexico to the United States five years ago, was on his way to work on Sept. 29 when he was suddenly stopped by ICE agents in Willow Springs. Chavez said she received a call from him, and she remembers him saying that it was not the police, but ICE, and that they were taking him. She said the agents did not have an arrest warrant before they detained him.
Garcia was first taken to the Broadview processing centre. Later, he was transferred to a detention facility in Michigan, where he has remained ever since. At home, he has two very young children — a 2-year-old girl and a 7-month-old baby. Chavez says he is the main person who supports their family and works hard to provide for them.
She also says Garcia has no criminal background and is considered low-risk. Out of more than 600 people arrested around the same time, only 16 were identified as high-risk individuals with an alleged criminal history.
The desperate search for help leads to a painful $10,000 scam
Soon after Garcia was taken, Chavez knew she needed legal help. She and her family contacted someone they believed was a real immigration lawyer. The person pretended to be Lizette Sierra, a Miami-based attorney, using her name, photos, and identity to look legitimate. Trusting the account, the family paid $10,000, hoping it would help secure Garcia’s release — but it was a scam.
The fake lawyer vanished after taking the money. No paperwork was filed, no legal advice was given, and the person never replied again. Their months of savings disappeared in minutes. Chavez later learned that the real Lizette Sierra had posted a video warning people about a fraudulent account using her name.
The loss devastated the family. Chavez said the $10,000 was everything they had saved, money meant for rent, groceries, and caring for their children — all spent because they believed they were helping Garcia.
Federal judge orders release of more than 600 detainees, including Garcia
A federal judge reviewed the arrests of more than 600 detainees and ruled that the detentions violated a previous court order. Since the arrests were not carried out lawfully, the judge ordered that everyone on the list be released on bond.
The list named 607 people, including Giovani Flores Garcia. After losing $10,000 to the scam, seeing his name brought Chavez a brief sense of relief.
Only 16 people on the list were labelled high-risk, and Garcia was not one of them. Chavez says he is a hard-working man who supports his family. She felt happy but also confused because she did not know what steps to follow next.
She worries about making another mistake that could affect his release and fears falling for another scam. She hopes officials will give families clear instructions.
All parties in the case are set to return to court on Friday, the same day the judge ordered the detainees to be released on bond.
Fear and hope as the family waits for the next steps
Chavez feels hopeful now that Garcia is listed among those who should be released, but the memory of losing $10,000 to a fake lawyer still scares her.
She says she feels both sure and unsure at the same time — sure that the judge’s ruling brings hope, but unsure of what comes next. The fear of another mistake, another scam, or another delay weighs heavily on her.
For now, the family waits for the next step in the legal process, hoping Garcia will soon be able to return home to his fiancée and their two children.