SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A Norwegian woman detained during her green card interview last November had her removal case dismissed by an immigration judge this week, allowing her to continue pursuing permanent residency.
Hanne Daguman celebrated on Monday with her husband Joshua, after an immigration judge terminated the case to remove her from the United States. The ruling means her green card application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can move forward.
"The judge took a look at all the documents and he confirmed that I did file everything I need to file with USCIS and therefore they should have jurisdiction over this case, not immigration court," Daguman said.
The case returns to the same USCIS office where ICE detained her during her green card interview. She said the ordeal has cost her and her husband at least $10,000 in additional legal fees.
"He said he didn't want to waste any more time on it, and that he said about the other cases, too, that same day. For most of the cases, he was like, I don't want to waste more time on this," Daguman said.
ABC 10News first met Daguman's husband, Joshua, after Hanne was arrested at her interview. She's a Type 1 diabetic, and he was worried she wasn't getting proper medical care at the detention center.
"The mental aftermath is also really tough, like I still have nightmares almost every night," Daguman said.
Hanne was detained for nine days and released with an ankle monitor, which was removed Monday afternoon after the judge's ruling.
"It was humiliating. Yeah, to wear it and you go out in public, and people are gonna think something about you that's not true," she said.
ABC 10News reached out to USCIS and ICE, asking if green card interview detentions are still happening and why cases like Hanne's are now being turned back to where they started.
USCIS sent us the following statement:
In general, when an immigration court dismisses a removal case for an alien with a previously pending green card application, the alien’s application may be returned to USCIS for further processing. USCIS then resumes review of the application and makes a final determination on the alien's eligibility for permanent residency. Apprehensions at USCIS offices continue to occur if individuals are identified as having outstanding warrants; being subject to court-issued removal orders; or having committed fraud, crimes, or other violations of immigration law while in the United States. These actions are typically carried out by law enforcement partners, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). For specific information about arrests, we refer you to ICE
"I'm hopeful I'll get my green card soon," Daguman said.
ICE did not respond to requests for comment about the arrests.
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