MAGA Mum Who Backed Trump for Years Stunned as ICE Arrests Her Son-In-Law in Shocking Immigration Twist

A family's faith in the US immigration system has been shaken after a Canadian-born legal permanent resident was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and detained for months. The case of Curtis James Wright, a 39-year-old father of three who has lived in the US since childhood, has become a controversial example of how enforcement actions are affecting lawful residents—including the family of a politically conservative mother-in-law who had long supported strict immigration policies.

Wright's detention, now more than 100 days after his arrest at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, has ignited legal challenges and a deeply personal battle for justice, raising questions about due process and the treatment of individuals who have complied with immigration requirements for decades.

Family Shocked by Unexpected Custody Order

Wright, originally from Edmonton, Canada, entered the US in 1998 and became a lawful permanent resident in 2001. His green card had been renewed twice without incident, and there was no indication of pending issues when he boarded a flight home from a business trip to Mexico on 6 November 2025. Upon arrival at Houston airport, immigration officials pulled him aside for additional screening. 'A couple of hours later, he let us know he was being detained and sent to an ICE detention centre,' his fiancée, Kayla Thomsen, said. 'We were baffled. Like, this can't happen.'

The family were informed that Wright's detention stemmed from a misdemeanour drug possession charge from when he was 17 — more than two decades ago. His father, Jim Wright, said the conviction had been resolved and had not prevented two green card renewals. 'That charge was adjudicated when he was a young teenager, 22 years ago,' Jim said. 'But you don't incarcerate him and put him behind bars for four months while you're waiting on that.'

The news struck particularly hard for Wright's mother-in-law, a self-described supporter of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies, who told relatives it was 'unimaginable' that her son-in-law could be subjected to the system she had once backed.

Legal Battle and Daily Hardship

Wright is being held at the South Texas Detention Facility in Pearsall. His family has launched both legal and fundraising campaigns to secure his release, with attorneys filing a writ of habeas corpus in January, arguing his prolonged detention is unconstitutional and that he poses no danger or flight risk. The family's GoFundMe campaign describes the detention as unjust and details its emotional toll: Wright's 18-month-old daughter reportedly wakes up each day asking for her father, carrying a small plastic photo frame with his picture.

Even in custody, Wright has tried to maintain purpose, earning the nickname 'Professor' by teaching English to fellow detainees. Relatives report he describes those detained alongside him as 'fathers, workers, and good men', countering a narrative often associated with immigration detention centres.

His lawyers have emphasised that more humane and efficient alternatives exist, but have urged that prolonged detainment without a clear timeline for hearings is unjust, especially for someone with deep roots in the community.

Political figures have also been drawn into the dispute. State Representative Sam Harless penned a letter to US Representative Dan Crenshaw, urging assistance, noting the irregularity of challenging Wright's status after decades without issue. 'Mr Wright has a valid Green Card that has been twice renewed ... and his continued detention ... seems questionable,' Harless wrote.

Broader Implications for Legal Residents

Immigration lawyers note that the law allows ICE to challenge the status of a permanent resident if a past conviction—even one decades old—can be interpreted as making them inadmissible under current enforcement priorities. Critics argue this can lead to disproportionate consequences for individuals who have otherwise met all administrative requirements for years, and advocacy groups point to a broader pattern in which minor or old offences are resurfaced in immigration proceedings, resulting in lengthy detentions that are financially and emotionally draining for families. Due process and access to effective legal representation, they argue, are central to ensuring fair outcomes when constitutional rights are at stake.

For Wright's fiancée and three US-citizen children, the uncertainty is immediate and personal. Care arrangements and the prospect of removal hang over a family for whom the US has been the only home they have known.

In the meantime, the wider public and legal community remain attentive to the outcome, which could set precedents for how similar cases are handled in the future and how immigration enforcement practices align with constitutional protections.

With hearings pending and legal challenges in motion, Wright's supporters remain hopeful he will return to his family—but his case is already drawing wider attention as a test of how immigration enforcement squares with the rights of those who have spent decades living lawfully within the system.