Bradley Bartell, a MAGA voter whose wife was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) upon their return from their honeymoon in Puerto Rico, has clarified that he doesn't regret voting for President Donald Trump.
"I don't regret the vote," he told Newsweek. Bartell voted for Trump due to his tough stance on illegal immigration, though he describes the detainment of his wife, Camila Muñoz, as nightmarish.
"It's all been a nightmare really, taking things as they come and moving forward," he continued. "We have an attorney. The system for getting people through seems to be very inefficient, so it is taking longer than it should."
A Peruvian citizen, Muñoz initially came to the U.S. on a work-study visa in 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel, she remained in the U.S., where she fell in love with Bartell. The couple had been working through the legal process to obtain her permanent residency when she was detained at the airport and taken to an ICE facility in Louisiana.
While he has criticized ICE's inefficiencies, he insists that Trump is not responsible for the system's failures. "He didn't create the system, but he does have an opportunity to improve it," Bartell said.
Since sharing his story, Bartell has faced backlash, with some saying he and his wife deserve what happened. Critics note that the execution of Trump's mass deportation agenda has not only impacted illegal migrants and criminals, but legal residents and even naturalized citizens.
For now, Muñoz remains in ICE custody as her case unfolds. Bartell, contemplating the possibility of moving to Peru if his wife is deported, remains hopeful that "all this attention will bring to light how broken [the system] is."
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