Montreal businesswoman in U.S. immigration detention for months
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The family of a Montreal businesswoman has had no luck getting her back safely to Canada after she was thrown into U.S. immigration detention more than three months ago.
According to reports, Paula Callejas was arrested on March 28 following a domestic dispute with her then boyfriend in Florida.
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The family of 43-year-old Callejas said she was returning to her Naples home at 1 a.m. when an altercation occurred. Her mother said she was slapped and pushed to the ground. He boyfriend at the time allegedly took her cellphone while she was calling 911 and she allegedly scratched his arm during the dispute.
He called 911 and police arrested and detained Callejas for a misdemeanour offence. She was then taken from the Naples jail by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to detention centres in Miami, Jacksonville, and Arizona where she is currently in custody.
“It’s been very hard these last few months,” her mother, Maria Estella Cano, told La Presse. “Her condition is deteriorating there. The family members are desperate.”
While in ICE custody, guards reportedly took away her anxiety medication.
“She is very anxious,” Estella Cano said. “She is afraid and tells me about deaths that are happening in the prisons where she is. She tells me: ‘I can’t take it anymore, I can’t take it anymore.’
Callejas, born in Montreal to Colombian parents, regularly travelled to the U.S. for work, her family said. She created a swimwear business and also bought and renovated homes in Florida.
“We were raised to appreciate every dollar and make the most of everything we had,” she said, according to her swimwear website. “I loved fashion since I was a little girl. Together with my mom, we recreated garments by hand, recycling materials and styles, which inspired my journey.”
While her U.S. visa was being processed, she entered the country with her Canadian passport.
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“She used to do fashion shows, and she wanted to do her own show this year too,” her mother said. “She even had buyers who wanted to come see her. But she lost everything.”
Her family called Callejas’ detention “unacceptable” and “an abuse by the U.S. government.”
“They treat her like she’s a criminal,” her mother said. “She’s not a criminal, just a girl with dreams.”
Global Affairs Canada has revealed to the media that an estimated 55 Canadians are being held in ICE custody. However, that is an approximate number because the Canadian government has no way of confirming how many citizens are being detained by immigration officials or even where they are detained.
Other stories have emerged of Canadians caught up in immigration custody.
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More recently, Cynthia Olivera, 45, of Mississauga, was detained by ICE on June 13 while she attended her green card interview in California.
She “was previously deported and chose to ignore our law and again illegally entered the country,” Homeland Security wrote on social media platform X on Monday.
Her husband, Francisco Olivera, said they feel “betrayed” by President Donald Trump after voting for him in the 2024 presidential election.
“I voted for change, but I didn’t vote for this change,” he told ABC affiliate KGTV in San Diego. “My wife … up until 18 days ago, was a strong believer in what was going to happen the next four years. But we feel totally blindsided.”
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