A lifelong Republican and Texas businessman says he now regrets voting for President Donald Trump after his Venezuelan-born fiancée was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Houston airport, describing the administration’s immigration crackdown as one that is “destroying families.”
John Gannon, 75, made the remarks in an interview with CBS News after his fiancée, 45-year-old Yasmin Suarez Reyes, was detained on July 24 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The couple had been preparing to travel to Las Vegas for a furniture industry convention when plainclothes ICE officers arrested Suarez Reyes shortly after they passed through airport security.
“I voted for Trump,” Gannon told CBS News. “They are picking up law-abiding citizens. They’re destroying families, jobs.” He added that if he had the opportunity to speak directly with President Trump, he would urge him to focus immigration enforcement on criminals rather than people with no criminal history. “Go after the criminals. We’re all for that. But leave the mom and pops and the kids alone,” he said.
According to Suarez Reyes’ attorney, Anne Kennedy, her client entered the United States legally in October 2023 using Spain’s citizenship under the Visa Waiver Program. Although born in Venezuela, Suarez Reyes is also a Spanish citizen, making her eligible to travel to the U.S. without a visa for up to 90 days.
Before that 90-day period expired, Suarez Reyes applied for asylum in January 2024, government records reviewed by CBS News reportedly show. Her asylum application remains pending, and she was granted a work permit and a Texas driver’s license while awaiting a decision. Kennedy also noted that the couple planned to marry, a step that could have allowed Suarez Reyes to seek lawful permanent residency through her U.S. citizen fiancé.World news reports
Despite those pending immigration proceedings, ICE detained Suarez Reyes for removal because her original period of authorized stay under the Visa Waiver Program had expired. She was later transferred to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, according to ICE’s online detainee tracking system.
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“For almost two weeks now, she has been in a physical jail cell, when she has done nothing more than follow the laws of the United States and do what our immigration laws allow her to do,” Kennedy said.
CBS News reported that the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding Suarez Reyes’ case.
The case comes amid a broader expansion of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Recent weeks have seen an increase in ICE arrests at airports across the United States, with many of those detained reportedly holding valid work permits or pending immigration applications but remaining subject to arrest because their underlying immigration status had expired.
Gannon said the detention has deeply affected him personally, describing Suarez Reyes as someone who strengthened his faith and calling her “good as gold.”
The case has renewed debate over the scope of immigration enforcement, particularly involving immigrants whose legal cases remain pending while they await decisions from U.S. immigration authorities.
