Ukrainian woman detained by ICE after routine immigration appointment, LA husband says

ADELANTO, Calif. (KABC) — A U.S. citizen says his wife, a Ukrainian asylum seeker, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being taken into custody during what they believed was a routine immigration appointment.

Maryna Ishchenko is being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where her husband, Asael Ramirez, said she was taken earlier this month.

“It started off as a beautiful day, and that beautiful day turned into a nightmare,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez shared he and his wife met in Poland and quickly fell in love. Maryna is originally from eastern Ukraine, where ongoing fighting tied to the Russian invasion has made her hometown unsafe. Her family shared photos and videos showing the aftermath of missile attacks in the area.

“I really, really need and I miss her,” Ramirez said. “I know this is an unjust situation.”

Concerned for her safety, Ramirez said he sought legal advice in 2024 and was told to attempt to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. When the couple approached immigration agents to formally present Maryna’s case, Ramirez said she was handcuffed and detained.

“In that moment I became in shock,” he said.

An attorney was later able to secure her release after proving Ramirez would sponsor her while her asylum case was pending. The couple has been living in Sylmar and married last year. Ramirez said they continued checking in with ICE at routine immigration appointments as instructed.

At their most recent appointment, he said, Maryna was detained again.

“You told them that you’re married and that you’re a U.S. citizen. What did they say to that?” Eyewitness News reporter Madison Weil asked Ramirez.

“They brushed it off,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to them.”

During an interview outside the Adelanto facility, Ramirez received a phone call from his wife from inside the detention center. He said she has been experiencing abdominal medical issues, made worse by constant anxiety and fear.

Advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit this week against the private operator of the Adelanto facility, alleging inhumane conditions, medical neglect and systemic abuse.

And on Wednesday, Congressman Raul Ruiz was denied entry into the Adelanto ICE facility, even though the law guarantees access to members of Congress.

Immigration attorney Jacob Sapochnick said policies surrounding detention have shifted.

“The rules of the game have changed,” Sapochnick said. “In Maryna’s case – A, she shouldn’t have been detained. Number two, she’s married to a citizen. She should at least get a bond. The bond should be approved so she can be at home with her spouse waiting for her asylum.”

Sapochnick said filing a habeas corpus petition in federal court may be her best chance for release, but Ramirez said the process is costly. He said he has already spent $15,000 on her case.

Despite the challenges, Ramirez said he is not losing hope.

“We’re keeping strong. We’re not giving up,” he said. “I need my wife and I will have her back.”

Ramirez said he is attempting to raise money for an immigration attorney to help fight for his wife’s release and has created a GoFundMe campaign.

Eyewitness News has reached out to ICE multiple times over the past week requesting information about Maryna’s case and whether she is at risk of deportation. As of publication, no response has been received.

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