They voted for Trump and now their son is in ICE custody: “We feel betrayed, tricked. This is craziness”

Débora Rey and Martín Verdi, an Argentine couple who are US citizens, cast their votes for Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election - both were swayed by his no-nonsense stance on illegal immigration.

However, they could never have imagined that the Trump administration’s policies would directly impact their own son, Agustín Gentile—an Argentine national who has lived legally in the US for several years.

Gentile, 31, who has resided legally in the US since he was 13, finds himself behind bars and facing deportation. A father to two American-born children, ages six and eight, he was arrested by immigration (ICE) officials after his green card was revoked due to a previous criminal record.

The case highlights the far-reaching consequences of the administration’s stringent immigration measures, raising pressing questions about how legal residents are being affected by enforcement policies once thought to primarily target undocumented immigrants.

Detained green card holder is a legal, permanent resident in the US

DHS officials confiscated his green card and Argentine passport and directed him to report to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he lives, reported Newsweek.

Gentile’s legal troubles escalated in February when he arrived Los Angeles International airport from a trip abroad. Just weeks later, on April 14, he attended a routine immigration appointment in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina—only to be taken into custody on the spot. Authorities then transferred him nearly 530 miles away to the Stewart Detention Center in South Georgia, where he now awaits his fate along with 1,700 other detainees.

Since April 21, the Argentine consulate in Atlanta has been aware of Gentile’s detention and has provided assistance to his family, according to reports from La Nación.

“Betrayed and deceived” parents speak out

In a bid to show support their son, Débora Rey and Martín Verdi made the nine-hour trip to Atlanta, Georgia, where they now wait anxiously for his upcoming court hearing—scheduled for no sooner than May 12. Despite their previous support for Donald Trump and his immigration policies, they now have good reason to regret giving the Republican their vote.

“We feel betrayed,” they told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia’s leading newspaper. “It’s insane. My son tells me that where he is now, he’s the only one with legal papers. Everyone else is undocumented.”

Previous conviction

Agustín was convicted on a minor assault charge in California in 2020. Originally sentenced to five years of probation, his term was later reduced to three, and his case was officially closed in 2023. However, according to immigration documents, authorities determined that his offense met the legal criteria for a crime involving “moral turpitude.”

Débora and Martín fully supported Trump’s immigration policies, believing they would target criminals and illegals. “But he never said he was going to do this—go after people who have been here legally for years,” Rey lamented.

Verdi meanwhile cited the case of Laken Riley, a college student murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant in 2024, as an example of what they thought the policies would focus on. Gentile might consider asking to be returned to Argentina if his case turns into a long, drawn-out legal fight.

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