MAGA supporter says ICE detained his wife who entered US legally

Brent Jindra, a 48-year-old technology salesman who says he voted for Donald Trump three times, told The New York Times that his wife Galina Bobreneva was detained by ICE at Burbank airport in California on 13 July. Bobreneva, a Russian national who arrived in the US in 2021, extended her visa twice after the war in Ukraine began and applied for asylum in 2022. She also has a pending green card application. The Department of Homeland Security described her as an illegal alien for overstaying her visa.

Bobreneva spent 16 days in detention, including a night on the floor of a basement cell, before being transferred to the Adelanto detention centre in California. She was released on a $35,000 bond and ordered to wear an electronic monitor. She described conditions at Adelanto as horrid, saying lights were never turned off, only four showers worked for about 120 women, and safe drinking water was hard to get. DHS rejected claims of substandard conditions, saying all detainees receive proper meals, water, medical treatment, and can contact family and lawyers.

Jindra said he supported Trump's immigration policies but never expected them to affect people who entered legally. Bobreneva must report to ICE in San Francisco on 7 September and has her first court appearance on 22 October. The case follows separate allegations about Adelanto, including a video that appeared to show worm-like creatures in drinking water there, and a federal judge's order for clean water after a class-action lawsuit.