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When Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Flores prayed with his 6-year-old daughter over the phone during his detainment, Bella asked God to send her dad back home to Graham by Christmas Eve.
Her prayers were answered.
Victor, 28, was released from the Otero Processing Center in New Mexico in late August after he was detained for six months because of his immigration status.
His parents immigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, to Texas when he was 11 months old. Victor had been a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, since he was 16. That program gave young undocumented immigrants a work permit and protections from deportation.
In January, Victor and his wife Blanca traveled to Mexico — after obtaining a permit allowing him to go — to visit relatives. It was the first time Victor visited the country he was born in. Upon the couple’s return, he was detained at the airport.
The family navigated a lengthy legal and spiritual journey that ultimately resulted in Victor’s summer return to the rural town about 80 miles west of Fort Worth.
Also in time for Christmas, the family celebrated a change in Victor’s immigration status. Victor is now a lawful permanent resident, something the couple has worked toward since he came home.
This holiday season the family plans to cherish every moment together, Blanca and Victor said, reflecting on the year the family experienced.
“It’s from the smallest things to the biggest things,” Victor said. “They’re all just different now, and they all just mean so much more to us now than ever.”
Blanca and Victor Gutierrez pose for a photo with their family in Graham on Aug. 26, 2025. The family had not been all together for months while Victor was detained. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Since the reunion, the family picked up where they left off, Blanca said. Victor is back at work. The kids started a new school year. Blanca and Victor are close to breaking ground on the construction of the forever home they planned before Victor was detained.
“We’re just very grateful and try to spend a lot of family time together,” Blanca said.
Faith is a pillar of the family. In the detention center, Victor led worship services when the man who was leading the sermons before him was deported. Blanca and their five children — ages 16, 13, 9, 6 and 2 — dove deeper into their faith through church, prayer and reading scripture.
A Bible sits on Victor Gutierrez’s kitchen table in Graham on Aug. 26, 2025. Gutierrez would give sermons to other men in the detention center while in New Mexico. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
There’s times it feels like Victor never left, Blanca said. Other times, the family is reminded of their separation.
In late November, Victor had an interview for his green card with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials at a field office in Irving. In the nights leading up to the interview, the family’s oldest daughter Adaly would hug Blanca, crying.
The 9-year-old didn’t want her dad to leave again. Victor and Blanca tried to reassure her that everything was going to be OK, he said, recalling the conversation.
Members from the family’s church visited Adaly for lunch that day to pray with her for Victor’s interview. By Dec. 2, immigration officials notified Victor that his case to be a permanent resident was approved.
Adaly’s prayer following the news is forever imprinted in Blanca’s memory.
“God, I just want to thank you for choosing our family. I just want to thank you for letting my daddy be here, and it’s all over because he has his card.”
Adaly
Blanca paused and took a moment to absorb her daughter’s prayer.
“I was like, ‘You shared your dad to do some amazing things over there, and God needed him over there for a reason. So it’s very good that you’re thanking him for doing that, even though it was hard on us, it was a blessing to so many other people,” Blanca said in response to her daughter.
Victor shares his testimony with friends and members of his church. While he and his family reflect on the journey they’ve experienced and move into the new year, he wants people to see his journey as an example of “God’s perfect timing.”
“There’s a lot that could happen. But one thing’s for sure is that God is always there with you,” Victor said. “And if you believe in that, then you’re going to get through it. At the end of the day, God is the one that got me home.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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