A Wisconsin voter who backed President Trump in November is still sticking by the Republican – even after his Peruvian wife was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of a federal crackdown on illegal immigration last month.
Bradley Bartell is now worried about the well-being of his wife, Sylvia Camilla Muñoz-Lira, locked inside a detention center — and is seeking donations — after she was nabbed by ICE agents on Feb. 15 at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The pair were traveling home to Wisconsin Dells from their belated honeymoon in Puerto Rico when she was taken into custody.
Muñoz-Lira, who overstayed her J-1 visa, is now locked up at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana.
“It was kind of like a slap in the face,” Bartell, 40, told The Post, explaining that a week went by before he heard from his wife and learned where she was being held.
“I was in shock and unsure what to do at the time. It was terrible.”
Bartell said they now speak every day on the phone for 15 minutes and keep in touch through a messaging system inside the detention center. But the newlywed is concerned for his wife’s mental and physical well-being as she remains behind bars awaiting a court date.
“She’s worried because there’s a lot of uncertainty in how this is all going down,” Bartell continued.
“She’s calmed down a little now that we have an attorney giving us an idea of how the process is going to go. But we still haven’t gotten a court date.”
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
Muñoz-Lira, 26, secured her temporary visa in 2019 after she was accepted to a work-study program in Wisconsin but was then unable to return to Peru a year later when the pandemic limited her ability to travel. She instead chose to continue working in the States and eventually met and married her husband in May 2024.
The new bride filed paperwork to obtain legal citizenship shortly after getting married, with US Citizenship and Immigration Services confirming that her case was under review, Bartell said, adding they thought it was safe to travel to a US territory with her application pending.
While this situation has been “tough” on his family, Bartell maintains his support for the commander in chief while also hoping the immigration process becomes more streamlined and efficient.
“I still support our president,” Bartell said, while questioning if the federal government was prepared for the number of detainees who have been picked up around the country.
“It’s kind of a tough slope. I just feel they need to get stuff moving on this because they’re holding a lot of people and it’s costing the taxpayers money. It’s taking a long time to even get dates set for people to speak with judges.”
The concerned husband said he initially thought Trump’s administration would only round up and deport immigrants with a criminal history or those who had crossed the border illegally.
“It’s gone a little farther than that. They’re just grabbing anyone they can,” he argued.
Trump’s day-one immigration executive order allows federal agents to arrest and remove any individual lacking legal documentation.
“Me, personally, I’m happy to have anyone who wants to come here and have a good life and live responsibly but there is a problem with letting gangsters come here too,” Bartell said.
David Rozas, an immigration attorney representing Muñoz-Lira, said he is waiting for the case to be logged into the federal database.
“We’re hoping to be able to follow bond any day now and hopefully she can get out on bond to where she can fight her removal proceedings while outside of detention with her family,” Rozas said Wednesday, adding that Muñoz-Lira does not have a criminal history.
“But don’t have any word yet, we’re just hoping that this will come soon.”
Bartell, who said he’s received a lot of hateful messages since his story was made public, has since created a GoFundMe asking for donations to support their legal fees – noting his wife’s bond could cost upwards of $15,000.
He said the money he’s currently using was originally earmarked for a down payment on a home.
“Please do not put yourself out to support us in this matter,” Bartell wrote on the fundraiser. “But if you have the means and would like to help it would be greatly appreciated.”
