Spouses of military Veterans detained by ICE

SAN DIEGO (NBC, KYMA) - ICE is detaining spouses of military Veterans and those Veterans say they feel betrayed by the country they served.

Samuel Shasteen, a Marine Veteran, lost his wife to cancer in 2022. Months later, when he walked into a coffee shop in Downtown San Diego, he just so happened to meet Chanidaphon Sopimpa, who put his broken heart back together.

"It kind of felt like there wasn't a hole there no more. She just filled a spot, the void that was there," Shasteen shared.

His kids had to warm up to her, but two years later, they were married.

Originally from Thailand, she overstayed her visa, but they've been trying to get her green card since the wedding.

November 18 was her final interview. He says they were just about done when ICE agents came in, handcuffed her and took her away.

"I kind of feel betrayed, to be honest," Shasteen expressed.

Betrayed because he spent 20 years in the Marines, deployed twice to Afghanistan.

"We do everything that we can to protect and serve our country. And then they betray us by treating us like we've never done anything," Shasteen remarked.

He's not the only one. Immigration Attorney William Menard said he has a client from Australia who is married to a Navy Veteran and was arrested in the same way on the same day.

"He put a lot of work into representing this country, and we did everything the right way," Menard said. "I could hear him kind of muttering like, you know, I served the country and, like, kind of, this is what I get, you know."

For him, some good news as an immigration judge has now ordered her released on bond, and Menard says they're still pursuing her green card.

"You got to wonder what eight days of detention, what purpose that served. I don't know," Menard spoke.

Shasteen's wife has a bond hearing next month. As they wait, he says his son has avoided the house since she was detained.

"He told me what it was reminding him of, which was his mom passing and he didn't want to be home because he don't want to be in an empty house without her," Shasteen said.

ICE was reached out about every single one of these cases we've covered, and they've said each arrest is for overstaying a visa.

Shasteen's attorney said at any other time in American history, her green card would have been approved.

ICE says overstaying a visa is itself a violation of federal law.