What was supposed to be a family trip to celebrate her mother's birthday ended in an arrest that completely changed the life of 26-year-old Brazilian actress Renata Alves Mietto. She was detained at Los Angeles airport on August 27, as she was preparing to fly to Hawaii.
According to Márcia Rilda Alves dos Reis, her daughter went through security and X-ray normally, entered with her passport and, when she was at the boarding gate, was approached and arrested by ICE agents who were in plain clothes.
"We thought that, in this matter of taking a flight, they were only catching those who had some type of crime. But we didn't know that they were arresting anyone. When you go through security, they have this direct connection with ICE, this impression that we have", said Márcia.
Renata arrived in the United States in 2016, at the age of 16. In the country, she completed high school and studied Performing Arts at Utah Valley University. For just over three years, he has lived in Los Angeles, where he also built his professional career. As an actress, she participated in productions such as "The Cool Kids" and, at the same time, she became the owner of a cleaning company that today employs more than 20 people. According to the young woman's mother, Márcia, Renata's big dream is to be a film actress.
The mother explains that her daughter lost her status in the United States about two years ago, after receiving incorrect legal advice.
Transferred in handcuffs from California to Texas
After being arrested at the airport, Renata was initially taken to a detention center in Los Angeles and later transferred to Adelanto, California, where she remained for more than 20 days. Meanwhile, her family tried to follow the process remotely with lawyers to find a way to get her out of prison.
On September 18th, Renata participated in a hearing. The defense asked that she be allowed to respond to the case in freedom, but the request was denied on the grounds that she would pose a risk. According to her mother, Renata never committed any crime and was detained exclusively because she did not have regular immigration status.
For Márcia, the situation is difficult to understand and even more difficult to bear.
"For me, as a mother, it's such despair to see my daughter go through this. Because she didn't commit any crime. She has no reason to be in prison just because she doesn't have status. That doesn't mean they can do this cowardice, and it's not just with her, but with so many other people in there. There are mothers there, people who are imprisoned for no reason. They are taking everyone and doing this cowardice. I want to get my daughter out of there, urgently", says Márcia in tears.
The day after the hearing, September 19, the situation became even more distressing for the family. Renata was transferred to El Paso, Texas. The transfer, according to the mother's report, was marked by hours of waiting and physical restrictions.
"I know that she stayed for a long time, she spent hours in a van without being able to pee, without being able to drink water, handcuffed on her feet, on her waist, on her hands, sitting for hours until she got on the flight. Once she got there, she sat from 9pm until the next day at 5pm, when she was placed in a room", reports the mother, reinforcing that her daughter remained handcuffed at all times.
"During all these hours, all night, cold. She asked to be able to wear her sweater that was in her suitcase. But they disappeared with her handbag, with her documents, with her credit card, with jewelry. To this day, the suitcase has not appeared", he says.
According to Márcia, Renata also had swelling in her legs and feet and a sore throat after spending so many hours sitting on a small bench in a cold environment.
The family is now trying to obtain permission to visit her, but, so far, has not been able to make an appointment with the detention center. Outside the prison, family members and lawyers try to find a way out of the case.
She wanted to at least go back to her home
Renata would not like to leave the United States. According to Márcia, her daughter is following legal advice and is requesting to voluntarily leave the country. Even though it was against her daughter's wishes, the mother believes that this would be the solution.
"She wanted to at least go back to her house, get her things. She has a rabbit who is already six years old. It's so much, you know? Emotionally. There's such a feeling of injustice. Even though she spent this time out of status, it's not illegal, it's out of status. She's a girl who came here at 16, studied here. I paid for all her studies. I paid a lot for her to study. So, she went to college. And, unfortunately, we had the wrong advice from a lawyer. She's emotionally devastated, out of control", describes Márcia.
Current situation
According to immigration lawyer and also a lawyer at the Los Angeles Consulate, Gisele Ambrósio, since June the number of detentions at airports has increased significantly, including during domestic departures, as happened with Renata.
"There is a wide range of people being arrested by ICE. For example, people out of status, with pending asylum, with visa extension requests, even green card requests pending, people with final deportation orders and even with work permits, but without final approval of the case", reports Gisele.
The lawyer highlights the drop in demand for new applications for green cards, citizenship and residence visas at a time marked by the tightening of immigration policies in the United States. Data from the American government reveals a 45% drop in the number of immigration requests received by USCIS in the second quarter of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025. And the lawyer issues a warning.
"I think that any immigrant, at this moment, who has a pending case with immigration, should not travel before consulting their immigration lawyer. Always have your lawyer's number written somewhere or by heart. Leave copies of your documentation with your friends. Always have a plan of what to do if something happens to you, if you have children, if you have assets. It is very important to have all this planning done, in case something happens to you in the United States at that moment", advises the lawyer.
