From MAGA Supporters to Critics: A Couple's Immigration Detention Nightmare
A New Jersey couple who were once fervent supporters of President Donald Trump and his "Make America Great Again" agenda have now turned against him after becoming entangled in his administration's aggressive immigration enforcement measures. Abdellatif Hafraoui, a 60-year-old resident of Bayonne, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Newark Liberty International Airport last August as he and his wife, Sandra Hafraoui, were preparing to depart for a vacation in Florida.
108 Days of Detention Across Three States
Over the course of 108 harrowing days, Hafraoui was transferred from New Jersey's Delaney Hall Detention Facility to Louisiana and subsequently to Arizona before finally being released on a $15,000 bond. In an emotional interview with NJ.com, Sandra Hafraoui revealed that she had voted for Trump in the past three elections and that the couple had even attended one of the president's rallies in Las Vegas. She expressed her profound disillusionment, stating she believed Trump would focus on deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, not individuals like her husband, who moved to the United States from Morocco at age 22 and has lived in the country for 38 years.
"To think we were MAGA!" Sandra told the outlet. When asked what she might say to Trump now, she added, "You said you were going after the worst of the worst, but instead you ruined our life."
A Missed Court Date and Legal Fraud
According to Abdellatif Hafraoui, he was targeted by ICE due to a missed immigration court date over a decade ago, prior to his marriage to Sandra. At that time, he had hired New York attorney Earl Seth David to file naturalization paperwork on his behalf. Hafraoui claims David failed to notify him of the scheduled hearing, resulting in a deportation order being issued in absentia. In 2013, David was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of operating a massive immigration fraud scheme.
Life After Release: Ankle Bracelets and Uncertainty
Since his release on November 26, Abdellatif Hafraoui has been unable to return to his job as a concierge at a New York residential building. He is required to attend regular ICE check-ins and wear an electronic ankle bracelet, a constant reminder of his precarious legal status. "I would like to go back to work, to feel normal again," he told NJ.com. "To have my life back without all this fear and uncertainty."
HuffPost contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the Hafraouis' case but did not receive an immediate response. The Trump administration entered office pledging to enact the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history. By December, DHS reported over 605,000 deportations, with approximately 1.9 million people having self-deported.
Growing Backlash and Religious Condemnation
Backlash against the president's immigration policies has intensified, particularly following the fatal shootings of protesters in Minneapolis. Last month, a high-ranking Catholic leader who has led Mass inside Delaney Hall—where Hafraoui was initially detained—issued a strong condemnation of ICE. Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark stated in an online prayer service, "We mourn for a world, a country that allows 5-year-olds to be legally kidnapped and protesters to be slaughtered," encouraging more people of faith to speak out against the agency's actions.
