An Oklahoma woman reportedly had a panic attack after she learned her fiancé had been apprehended by immigration agents, according to The Frontier.
Michelle Brooks’ partner, green card holder Octavio Carreon Mota, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in May.
Newsweek has contacted ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.
Why It Matters
The arrest comes as President Donald Trump directs his administration to conduct sweeping deportations. The White House has said anyone living in the U.S. illegally is considered to be a “criminal.”
The administration is enacting plans to carry out what it calls the largest deportation operation in U.S. history as part of the Republicans‘ hardline immigration agenda.
In addition to people living in the country without legal status, immigrants with valid documentation, including green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids.
What To Know
Mota received a text from an unknown number offering tree-trimming work in Enid. The 27-year-old father often did day labor to earn extra income and frequently traveled from Stillwater to Enid for jobs.
Over several days, he exchanged messages with a man who identified himself as Samual Davis, who claimed to own several rental properties in the area. When Mota showed up at the agreed meeting spot, a gas station in Enid, ICE agents arrested him. Mota’s father and younger sister arrived at his home to tell his fiancée that he had been arrested.
“I just had a panic attack and started crying,” Michelle Brooks told The Frontier.
Mota came to the United States from Mexico with his family when he was two years old. He is a lawful permanent resident and holds a 10-year green card.
Mota was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge for entering a building without permission in 2018. According to court records, he was accused of entering a house during a dispute between a friend and a former roommate.
That same year, he also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.
In 2018, Mota was convicted of misdemeanor reckless conduct with a firearm and carrying a firearm while under the influence after accidentally discharging a gun in Brooks’ apartment. He told police he had been drinking when the incident occurred.
Brooks and Mota met in high school and became friends. Over time, Mota gained her trust and affection, which she attributes to his politeness, kindness, and respectful nature.
In August 2024, they moved from Enid to Stillwater so Brooks could complete her entrepreneurship degree at Oklahoma State University. They have a two-year-old son together.
After being engaged for seven years, they intended to get married once she finished her degree. She graduated in May, less than two weeks before Mota was taken into custody.
What People Are Saying
Brooks told The Frontier: “He’s served his time already and hasn’t gotten in trouble with the law since. He settled down. He has a son. All he does is work and come home.”
What Happens Next
Mota is currently in detention at the Blue Bonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, as he awaits a court hearing to determine whether he will be removed from the country.
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