A Tennessee man who entered the U.S. illegally a decade ago had since built a lawful life — a work permit, a social security number, a REAL ID driver’s license, and a legal pathway to permanent residency. He also had a newborn son, just ten days old. Then, on the morning of February 17th, immigration agents pulled him over on a Nashville street, and by the end of the day, he was gone.
Juan Martin Espindola Ramirez, 27, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop despite presenting documentation of his legal status to officers on the scene, according to his girlfriend and the mother of his child, Juana Bautista. What followed, as she describes it, was chaotic and frightening: windows smashed, her boyfriend physically removed from his van, and agents who dismissed his paperwork without a second glance.
Juan Martin Espindola Ramirez, 27, was detained by ICE during a traffic stop despite presenting documentation of his legal status to officers on the scene, according to his girlfriend and the mother of his child, Juana Bautista. What followed, as she describes it, was chaotic and frightening: windows smashed, her boyfriend physically removed from his van, and agents who dismissed his paperwork without a second glance.
How He Got Here — Legally
Ramirez originally crossed into the United States from Guanajuato, Mexico, in 2014 without legal status. His path to lawful presence came through a painful ordeal: in 2017, he was stabbed in the throat. During the subsequent legal proceedings, a judge recommended he apply for a U visa — a designation reserved for victims of serious crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. His criminal record was clean, and his application was approved.
Through that visa, he obtained a social security number, a work permit, and a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. His green card application was still pending at the time of his arrest — the final step in a years-long process of building legal standing in the country, reports the Mirror US.
He worked as a plumber. He helped raise Bautista’s eight-year-old son since the boy was six months old. And he had just welcomed a newborn into the world.
Through that visa, he obtained a social security number, a work permit, and a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. His green card application was still pending at the time of his arrest — the final step in a years-long process of building legal standing in the country, reports the Mirror US.
He worked as a plumber. He helped raise Bautista’s eight-year-old son since the boy was six months old. And he had just welcomed a newborn into the world.
The Morning of February 17th
Bautista was home with her infant when Ramirez called just after 10 a.m. “He called me around 10:15 and said, ‘Babe, immigration just pulled me over,’” she recalled. He showed his documentation to the officers. According to Bautista, the response was blunt and dismissive. “The officer said, ‘No, that’s nothing for us.’” When Ramirez presented his work visa, she says she heard the officer say it meant nothing — and then came the sound of shattering glass and the phone hitting the ground.
She rushed to the scene with her newborn. By the time she arrived, Ramirez was already inside an immigration vehicle. Bystanders had recorded the encounter, capturing agents breaking the windows of his van and pulling him out. When she tried to intervene, an officer warned her to step back or risk being taken herself. She told him Ramirez was there legally and had shown his paperwork. “He said, ‘You’ll hear from him whenever he gets to where he’s going,’” she recalled, “and they just took him.”
Ramirez’s requests to say goodbye to his newborn were denied. According to Bautista, agents laughed at him when he asked.
She rushed to the scene with her newborn. By the time she arrived, Ramirez was already inside an immigration vehicle. Bystanders had recorded the encounter, capturing agents breaking the windows of his van and pulling him out. When she tried to intervene, an officer warned her to step back or risk being taken herself. She told him Ramirez was there legally and had shown his paperwork. “He said, ‘You’ll hear from him whenever he gets to where he’s going,’” she recalled, “and they just took him.”
Ramirez’s requests to say goodbye to his newborn were denied. According to Bautista, agents laughed at him when he asked.
Transferred and Awaiting Hearings
In the early hours of February 18th, Ramirez called from jail to tell Bautista he was being transferred to Louisiana for immigration court proceedings. ICE has not publicly commented on the case.
Bautista says her greatest fear is that a man who went through the proper legal channels — who was recognized as a crime victim, who cooperated with the system, who held valid documentation — could still be deported. “My fear is that he’s here legally and they want to deport him for no reason,” she said. “They said his documents were fake. How are we going to get fake documents? You have to have certain criteria to even qualify for a REAL ID.”
Bautista says her greatest fear is that a man who went through the proper legal channels — who was recognized as a crime victim, who cooperated with the system, who held valid documentation — could still be deported. “My fear is that he’s here legally and they want to deport him for no reason,” she said. “They said his documents were fake. How are we going to get fake documents? You have to have certain criteria to even qualify for a REAL ID.”
A Family Left Behind
The impact on their household has been immediate and severe. Bautista’s eight-year-old, who has known Ramirez as a father figure for nearly his entire life, is struggling to cope. “He can’t even function,” she said. “He can’t go to school because he’s so distraught. He doesn’t know how to process it. And it hurts me.”
Bautista says she hopes Ramirez will be able to meet his newborn son before any deportation proceedings are finalized.
Bautista says she hopes Ramirez will be able to meet his newborn son before any deportation proceedings are finalized.
This article is based on reporting originally published by Michael Lee Simpson and Falyn Stempler in The Mirror US.
