A Navy veteran and Donald Trump voter, Jim Brown says he “100% regrets” his vote after ICE arrested his wife, Donna Hughes-Brown, 58, a longtime permanent resident.
With her hearing postponed to December 18, she will remain incarcerated through Thanksgiving, according to the family.
In a widely reported interview, Mr. Brown appealed to U.S. authorities. “Show me in the Bible where this is what we’re supposed to do. It’s wrong. Period. She is 100% innocent, including regarding her legal presence in this country. Why should she go through a ‘trial’ for something she already paid for? It was only a minor offense,” Live5News and other outlets reported.
According to media accounts, the federal case against her involves an old bad check. The check was for about $25 and was written more than a decade ago. The debt was reportedly repaid. Probation was already completed, according to FOX19 Now.
ICE maintains that the matter constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT), a legal category that can make a permanent resident deportable under U.S. immigration law.
The family denounces what they call a disproportionate punishment. They say it targets “a grandmother of five grandchildren” who has lived in the United States since childhood. She arrived at age 11 and has since obtained her permanent resident card.
Ms. Hughes-Brown was detained at O’Hare Airport (Chicago) in the summer of 2025 while returning from Ireland. She was later transferred to Campbell County Detention Center (Kentucky), a facility used by ICE for civil detention. Since then, several hearing postponements have extended her detention, KMOV/First Alert 4 reported.
When contacted by the press about this case, ICE reportedly classified her among “criminal offenders” presenting a risk to “public safety and the rule of law.” The family strongly contests this characterization.
The political dimension of the story has drawn attention. A veteran and Trump voter says he feels betrayed by the immigration policy he supported. “I 100% regret my vote,” Mr. Brown confided. He now believes the ICE enforcement methods he once approved are affecting legally established families.
“She’s 100% innocent. She hasn’t even really been heard, which is insane,” he stated. He laments that authorities are “criminalizing” a minor and an old incident.
The Legal Framework
Legally, everything hinges on the criminal classification and its interpretation under immigration law. A crime involving moral turpitude generally requires an element of fraudulent intent. However, not all bad check cases meet this criterion. It depends on the state and case law.
Immigration judges examine the definition of the offense in the relevant state. They also consider the potential sentence and the timing of the incident in relation to the admission for permanent resident status.
This technical but crucial debate will be decided on December 18. The judge will either confirm or reject deportability. The judge will also decide whether to continue detention or release the individual under certain conditions while awaiting a final decision.
The Hughes-Brown case highlights a dilemma: balancing the need to strengthen law enforcement without disrupting long-established families. Recent incidents have reignited public debate over targeting priorities. Should the focus be on individuals with serious criminal records? Or should a wider net be cast to ensnare longtime residents?
For now, the family is preparing to spend Thanksgiving apart. They await a judicial decision. Mr. Brown asserts that whatever the outcome, “this system has lost sight of humanity.”
Based on reports from FOX19 Now (Cincinnati) and KMOV/First Alert 4 (St. Louis), with information from Live5News
