U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk Pilot Chris Busby is worried about his wife Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez being detained by ICE hours after their wedding.
Nothing says “happily ever after” like wedding vows followed by federal detention. Just ask U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot Chris Busby.
Chris did everything right. Served his country, flew helicopters, risked his life, fell in love and got married. Then, hours after saying “I do,” his wife Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez was detained by ICE.
The couple tied the knot at a courthouse. Simple, sweet and no drama. Instead of a honeymoon, Stephanie went to a routine ICE check-in. Routine as in, “You’ve done this before and nothing happened.” Until something did.
ICE decided that this was the moment. Not last year, not next year but literally right after the wedding glow faded.
Roughly 48 hours later, Velasquez entered a Houston Immigration and Customs Enforcement office for a routine check-in and never emerged, Busby said. The uncertainty has left the newlywed questioning whether his time serving the country was worth it, he said.
“Stephanie is beautiful, she is smart, she’s amazing,” he said. “If it means sacrificing myself or my career to free her, I will do it.”
Busby, who enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2015, has spent the last six weeks looking for ways to free his wife from detention. Despite his years of service and their recent nuptials, Velasquez was denied bond on Jan. 9, according to her lawyer.
Velasquez came to the United States in 2021 hoping to start a new life far from the violence and political instability of her native Venezuela. She does not have a criminal record and presented herself to immigration officials in Miami when she arrived in the country.
The couple met in March and Busby, 28, immediately knew she was the one.
“I’ve never met anyone like her,” he said. “She came here and just wanted to be the best.”
Chris keeps fighting, Stephanie keeps waiting. Love survives somewhere between legal filings and cold metal benches.
This story isn’t cute, it’s not funny, but it’s painfully American.
