In the USA, a Ukrainian woman was arrested during an interview for obtaining a green card

In the USA, a Ukrainian woman was arrested during an interview for obtaining a green card

Last week, Ukrainian woman Viktoriya Bulavina was arrested in San Diego (USA) right during an interview for a green card at the immigration service building.

This was reported by the local publication Orange County Register, citing her husband, Viktor Korol, who is a U.S. citizen.

According to immigration lawyers, such cases are becoming increasingly common.

«Viktoriya Bulavina first entered the country in 2022 under President Joe Biden’s humanitarian program for Ukrainians forced to leave their country due to the war. Her daughter was participating in gymnastics competitions in the U.S. when the war began, and they later reunited through the Uniting for Ukraine program,» the publication writes.

«Last Thursday, the couple attended what was supposed to be their final interview for a marriage-based green card. Toward the end of the interview, she was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in front of her husband,» the publication reports.

According to Korol, although the couple had heard in the news that some people were detained during such interviews, they hoped it wouldn’t happen to them since Viktoriia had no immigration violations.

«We were worried about it. But we thought her status was fine. If you want to get a green card, you can’t just not show up for the interview,» he told reporters.

As Orange County Register writes, citing the Ukrainian woman’s attorney, her application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was approved by U.S. officials in June 2024, and it was valid until April 2025.

However, later, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced an 18-month extension of the status for Ukrainians who re-registered in the program, until October 2026.

At the same time, in January 2025, a few months before the expiration of her status, Bulavina applied for its extension, as well as for a work permit extension, within the deadlines set by the immigration service.

According to federal rules, her status remains valid while the extension is under review, meaning she is in a period of authorized stay, her attorney told the publication.

«At this point, this (arrest during an interview - ed.) is practically a daily occurrence in San Diego,» Caroline Matthews, an attorney with Pathway to Citizenship San Diego, a local nonprofit providing affordable and free legal services to immigrant families, told Orange County Register.

«Violations of people’s fundamental rights to freedom, rights to due process, to notification of the reasons for arrest, detention, and deportation procedures,» she added.

Matthews, who had another client arrested at the end of an interview in November, described the situation to the publication as «a trap set by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement - ed.),».

«This is unprecedented. Especially in Viktoriia’s case, because she hasn’t even violated the law,» she added.

As the publication reports, according to Korol, Bulavina was taken to the Otay Mesa detention center on Saturday evening or early Sunday, December 7, after her arrest.

Matthews stated that her client followed the rules and has no criminal record.

«She came here legally, extended her legal status, followed all USCIS instructions, and attended the green card interview with full transparency. There is no basis for her detention and separation from her family, especially at a time when her husband is battling cancer,» she said.