Release from ICE detention brings relief and lingering trauma for wife of Army reservist

EXCLUSIVEImmigrationImmigrationRelease from ICE detention brings relief and lingering trauma for wife of Army reservistAfter months of anxiety in a Houston detention center, Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez was reunited with her husband this week, but still feeling guilt for those left in detention.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Chris Busby and Stephanie Kenny Velasquez.Chris BusbyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 5, 2026, 7:00 AM EDTBy Alicia Victoria LozanoAfter four months and several court hearings, the wife of a U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot was released earlier this week from an ICE detention facility in Houston.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, who is from Venezuela, was detained in December just two days after marrying Chris Busby. On Tuesday, Busby, 28, stood outside the detention center with flowers and a smile waiting to hug his wife for the first time this year.“I just can’t believe it,” he said on the phone. “We’ve waited so long.”Kenny-Velasquez was released after a federal judge ruled that her due process rights had been violated when immigration officers detained her last year. She had previously applied for asylum and was released into the U.S. in 2021. Still, Kenny-Velasquez said she couldn’t let herself celebrate until she was back in his arms.“I was in shock. I’m still in shock,” Kenny-Velasquez, 25, said Wednesday. “I’m just trying to process everything.”In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said all of Kenny-Velasquez's claims will be heard in immigration court and "will receive full due process."But her pending asylum case does not grant her legal status in the U.S, the statement continued, noting that she was released into the country under the Biden, not Trump, administration.“Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home...