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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained Airida Gould, a Lithuanian national married to a U.S. Army veteran for over a decade, during a green card interview in May, according to her husband and ABC7.
The Chicago-area woman had a prior removal order from 2009, and, according to her husband, is being deported on Tuesday night.
Gould’s case comes amid reports of increased arrests at immigration appointments, including green card interviews and mandatory check-ins, as the Trump administration intensifies enforcement efforts.
Newsweek has reached out to Gould’s lawyer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and ICE for comment via email on Tuesday. Newsweek has reached out to her husband via GoFundMe and emailed an account affiliated with a Facebook set up on her behalf.
What To Know
Mark Gould, an Army veteran, said he accompanied his wife to a U.S. government building on May 16 for an immigration appointment in what they believed was their “final step” in the green card process, according to a GoFundMe campaign he created following her detention.
“That morning, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved our marriage petition, officially confirming what we have known since the day we married: ours is a real marriage, a real family, and Airida belongs here,” he wrote.
When asked for comment and confirmation, USCIS directed Newsweek to the DHS.
He continued, “Hours later, at that same appointment, in that same building, my wife was handcuffed and taken away by ICE.”
Gould remains in ICE custody, according to the agency’s online detainee locator, which lists her as Airida Kesiliene and places her at the Broadview Service Staging Area in Illinois. The Broadview facility has previously been at the center of anti-ICE demonstrations. In September 2025, protesters gathered repeatedly outside the processing center to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, with some demonstrations ending in clashes between federal agents and activists.
However, an ABC7 report said Gould was being held at a detention facility in Kentucky after being transferred from Illinois and Indiana. She had described her prior detention conditions to ABC7, saying, “I think people taking care better for their cats and dogs. That bad, that place definitely probably has to be closed.” She told the outlet that at her new facility, she gets fresh air for one hour, three times a week.
In a video posted Tuesday to the Facebook page Bring Airida Home, which was created to support Gould, her husband, Mark Gould, said she was being deported to Europe.
He captioned the video, “After 66 days in captivity, ICE allowed me to give Airida some cash, cards and carry on. Of course when I asked to see her and give her a hug it was denied. Took everything in me not to get arrested. I will NEVER, Forget and NEVER forgive these monsters. Airida is leaving tonight, no details provided.”
While Gould’s family acknowledges she was subject to a 2009 removal order, her husband wrote in a GoFundMe campaign that the order was issued after she arrived late to a court hearing because of road construction. “The matter was never heard on its merits,” he wrote.
Gould is represented by former Chicago immigration court Judge Carla Espinoza Grcic. Her legal team has filed an Emergency Motion to Reopen with the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Green Card Marriages
Marriage to a U.S. citizen remains a common route to obtaining a green card. But immigration attorneys and advocates say the Trump administration has stepped up enforcement and vetting involving citizens’ spouses, while administration officials argue they are enforcing laws that were not adequately applied under previous administrations.
Marriage-based green cards allow foreign-born spouses of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain permanent residency in the United States. Spouses of U.S. citizens are classified as “immediate relatives,” making them exempt from annual visa caps.
Officials review multiple factors to confirm the legitimacy of a marriage, including shared living arrangements, joint financial responsibilities, and other evidence that the couple maintains a life together. Couples who live apart, submit inconsistent documentation, or appear to have entered the marriage for immigration purposes may face additional scrutiny, longer processing times, or outright denial of their application.
DHS data show that about 343,000 spouses of U.S. citizens obtained lawful permanent residence in fiscal year 2024, accounting for about half of the green cards issued to “immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.” Overall, about 1.36 million people became lawful permanent residents across all admission classes that year.
Who Is Airida Gould?
Gould came to the United States in 2000 and has three U.S.-born children, Lucas, 23, Jamie, 20, and Nojus, 17, her husband wrote in the GoFundMe.
Court records reviewed by Newsweek show a 2017 traffic citation for following another vehicle too closely.
Gould has worked as a licensed massage therapist at the same business, Libertyville Massage Therapy, for two decades. The business posted about Gould on their Instagram page in June, writing, “Airida was taken into custody due to a decades-old court order related to a missed hearing. She is being held in an out-of-state detention facility while her case moves through the immigration process.” The business asked customers to sign a petition on her behalf.
According to the video posted by her husband on Facebook, Gould appears to face imminent deportation and is expected to be sent to Europe.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas
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