ICE Split Up These Husbands And A Judge Wants Answers
Jonathan Blanco Gallegos and Elias Perez-Zuazo married in February 2024 in Washington, DC. Perez-Zuazo, from Panama, entered the US without papers in November 2021. Authorities released him to pursue his case. On 10 December 2025, he attended a routine ICE check-in in Chantilly, Virginia, which is a condition of his application, at which time he was arrested.
Why the sudden arrest?
ICE says Perez-Zuazo has a removal order from an immigration judge in November 2021. They call him an illegal alien who got full due process under the prior administration. His lawyer disputes this. No such order shows in public databases. The couple had approval on the I-130 petition for his green card. Blanco Gallegos expected the appointment to last under an hour, as it had in past years.
A husband’s pain.
Life stopped for Blanco Gallegos. He sleeps alone now. No more home-cooked meals from his husband.
“They just take him away, and your life’s put on pause,” he told WRC-TV. “I need someone to come back and hit play for me.” Perez-Zuazo sits at Farmville Detention Center in Virginia.
Judge steps in fast.
A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Senior Judge Anthony Trenga, issued an order on 5 January 2026 in response to Perez-Zuazo’s habeas corpus petition. Habeas corpus is a court action that challenges whether someone is being lawfully detained.
In the order, Judge Trenga says Perez-Zuazo has been detained at the Farmville Detention Center since “approximately” 10 December 2025, and he barred the government from removing Perez-Zuazo from the court’s judicial district while the case is reviewed.
The judge also required the government to respond by 5:00 pm on 9 January 2026, and set 5:00 pm on 14 January 2026 as the deadline for any reply from Perez-Zuazo.
Why this case is being watched.
This is not only about one couple’s month of missed dinners and empty bed space. It is also about trust in a process that requires people to show up in person.
For now, Perez-Zuazo is not meant to be moved out of the judicial district while the federal court reviews the detention. The next key moments are the court deadlines already set in Judge Trenga’s order.
