LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — A 21-year-old Louisville woman was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while attending a scheduled interview for a marriage-based green card, separating her from her U.S.-citizen husband and their 19-month-old son.
Armelle Bondonga arrived legally from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a child in 2013 but remained after her visitor visa expired. Her attorney, Arianit Osmani, said Bondonga later became part of her father’s asylum proceedings and is now pursuing legal permanent residency through her marriage to Terrance Bradshaw.
Bondonga appeared voluntarily for the Aug. 12 USCIS interview. Bradshaw said the meeting initially appeared to be proceeding normally before ICE agents separated the couple and detained his wife.
ICE said Bondonga received a final removal order from an immigration judge on Nov. 6, 2025, and defended the arrest by saying she had overstayed her visa. Her attorney says separate proceedings involving her family’s earlier asylum case remain unresolved and is seeking an administrative stay to prevent deportation while those issues and her marriage petition are considered.
Local reporting also indicates attorneys are considering a habeas corpus petition challenging her continued detention. A marriage to a U.S. citizen can provide a pathway to permanent residency, but it does not automatically erase an existing removal order.
Bondonga remains detained in Indiana while her attorneys seek to keep her in the country long enough for her pending legal claims to be reviewed.
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