A rising country music singer speaks out about his family member arrested by ICE : NPR
When a family member of a popular country music singer was arrested by ICE, he spoke publicly about the emotional toll of family separation due to immigration bureaucracy.
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Holiday travel can be stressful – missed flights, traffic jams, that sort of thing. But this year, many immigrant families also fear being targeted by ICE while traveling. From member station WPLN in Nashville, Rose Gilbert reports one such case.
ROSE GILBERT, BYLINE: Thousands of people gathered recently for the Grand Ole Opry’s annual Christmas concert in Nashville. Announcer Charlie Mattos welcomes one of the performers to the stage.
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CHARLIE MATTOS: He’s a former police officer, a Texas chart-topper, and an incredible bilingual recording artist. It’s always great to have him at the Opry. Will you welcome Mr. Frank Ray?
(APPLAUSE)
GILBERT: Before he began singing Christmas hits like “Feliz Navidad,” Ray told the crowd about an ICE arrest in his family.
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FRANK RAY: My brother-in-law was supposed to fly out on Thanksgiving to meet us here. He was flying from El Paso, Texas, to BNA. Are there any Texas people in the crowd?
(APPLAUSE)
RAY: And this is where it gets depressing. He was later apprehended and detained by ICE. And I’m not trying to divide the room here. This is exactly what happened. These are the facts, which is terrible. So needless to say, this ruined our Thanksgiving holiday.
GILBERT: Ray is Mexican-American and has spoken publicly about the challenges immigrants face, including in his 2023 song, “Jesus At The Taco Truck.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JESUS AT THE TACO TRUCK”)
RAY: (singing) I met Jesus at the taco truck.
GILBERT: But this time, it’s personal. On Thanksgiving Day, Ray woke up to a panicked call from his sister. Her husband, a Mexican national named Juan Nevarez, had been arrested by border patrol at the airport.
RAY: She’s in tears. She says they just arrested Juan at the El Paso airport, saying his work visa no longer gives him legal status in the United States.
GILBERT: Nevarez has a five-year work permit, which he renewed this spring. He was nevertheless arrested and taken to an ICE processing plant in Otero County, New Mexico. This is where he is currently being held, awaiting a hearing that will decide whether he can remain in America with his wife and four children, all American citizens.
ALYSSA NEVAREZ: We don’t understand why this happened.
GILBERT: This is Alyssa Nevarez. She and Juan have been married since 2007. They grew up in neighboring border towns, one in Mexico, the other in the United States. Nevarez has crossed the southern border illegally several times. And since those are still on his file, they didn’t apply for a green card.
NEVAREZ: He has this authorization to be here, to work, to provide for his family, you know? Why did they do this?
GILBERT: The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying Nevarez had a criminal record, including assault, battery, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, all stemming from a 2023 argument with a cousin, according to his wife. Nevarez pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespassing, but prosecutors dropped all other charges. Today, his wife says Juan struggles to cope with overcrowding at ICE facilities. She says he’s even considering giving up and signing the papers to be deported to Mexico.
NEVAREZ: And I say no. No, no, no. Like, you can’t do that. You must be strong. You must be strong. And he says you just don’t understand. It’s so bad here.
GILBERT: She hired an immigration lawyer and talks to Juan on the phone as much as possible to try to keep his spirits up.
NEVAREZ: We were able to do a video tour, and this morning he said, can you just let me see the outside?
GILBERT: So she took the phone outside to show him the sunrise. This holiday season has been difficult for his family.
NEVAREZ: And my daughter said to me, Mom, please can we just put up the Christmas tree, and so it’s not like other years.
GILBERT: His brother, Ray, says he’s lucky to be able to use his platform as a country artist to raise awareness of his brother-in-law’s case, but he also knows his family situation isn’t unique.
RAY: Vacation travel has always been a little crazy, but this story is something so common for so many Hispanic and Latino families across the United States.
GILBERT: Nevarez’s hearing is expected early next year, but his family says they’re hoping for a Christmas miracle.
For NPR News, I’m Rose Gilbert in Nashville.
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