A Wisconsin voter who supported President Trump in November remains loyal to the Republican, even after his Peruvian wife was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month as part of a federal crackdown on illegal immigration.
Bradley Bartell now fears for the well-being of his wife, Sylvia Camilla Muñoz-Lira, who is being held in a detention center. He is seeking donations after ICE agents detained her on Feb. 15 at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The couple was returning to Wisconsin Dells from their belated honeymoon in Puerto Rico when she was taken into custody.
Muñoz-Lira, who had overstayed her J-1 visa, is currently being held at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana.
“It felt like a slap in the face,” said Bartell, 40, speaking to The Post. He explained that an entire week passed before he finally heard from his wife and found out where she was being held.
“I was in shock and had no idea what to do. It was a terrible experience.”
Bartell said he and his wife now talk on the phone for 15 minutes each day and stay in touch through a messaging system within the detention center. However, he remains deeply concerned about her mental and physical well-being as she waits behind bars for a court date.
“She’s anxious because there’s so much uncertainty about how this will play out,” Bartell said.
“She’s a bit calmer now that we have an attorney guiding us through the process, but we still haven’t received a court date.”
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
Muñoz-Lira, 26, obtained a temporary visa in 2019 after being accepted into a work-study program in Wisconsin. However, when the pandemic disrupted travel a year later, she was unable to return to Peru. Instead, she chose to continue working in the U.S., eventually meeting and marrying Bartell in May 2024.
Shortly after getting married, Muñoz-Lira filed paperwork to obtain legal citizenship, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed that her case was under review, Bartell said. Believing it was safe to travel to a U.S. territory with her application pending, the couple never expected she would be detained.
While acknowledging that the situation has been “tough” on his family, Bartell remains a supporter of the president. At the same time, he hopes for a more streamlined and efficient immigration process.
“I still support our president,” he said, though he questioned whether the federal government was prepared to handle the growing number of detainees nationwide.
“It’s a tough situation. I just think they need to speed up the process because they’re holding so many people, and it’s costing taxpayers money. It’s taking way too long just to get court dates.”
Bartell admitted he initially believed the Trump administration’s crackdown would focus on deporting immigrants with criminal records or those who had crossed the border illegally.
“It’s gone beyond that—they’re just grabbing anyone they can,” Bartell argued.
Trump’s day-one immigration executive order grants federal agents the authority to arrest and deport anyone without legal documentation.
“Personally, I welcome anyone who wants to come here, build a good life, and live responsibly,” Bartell said. “But there is a real issue with allowing gang members in, too.”
David Rozas, the immigration attorney representing Muñoz-Lira, said he is still waiting for the case to be entered into the federal database.
“We’re hoping to file for bond any day now, and ideally, she’ll be released so she can fight her removal proceedings outside of detention with her family,” Rozas said Wednesday, noting that Muñoz-Lira has no criminal history.
“But we haven’t received any updates yet—we’re just hoping for progress soon.”
Meanwhile, Bartell said he has received a wave of hateful messages since his story became public. In response, he launched a GoFundMe to help cover their legal expenses, explaining that his wife’s bond could cost as much as $15,000.
Bartell noted that the funds he’s using were originally set aside for a down payment on a home.
“Please don’t feel obligated to support us,” he wrote on the fundraiser. “But if you have the means and would like to help, it would be greatly appreciated.”
