Spaniard Deported from US After Six Months in ICE Detention. Miguel Barreno spent over six months in US ICE detention centers. He was detained on the outskirts of Chicago and deported with no right to return. After arriving back in Madrid, the Spaniard shared his experience.
Spanish citizen Miguel Barreno returned to Madrid after spending more than half a year in isolation under the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was detained in the fall of 2025 on the outskirts of Chicago while on his way to work with three Nicaraguans. According to EL PAÍS, the detention was carried out by ICE officers as part of a tightened policy towards foreigners with expired visas.
Details of the detention
Barreno said that ICE officers stopped their car early in the morning without presenting a warrant or explaining their rights. After a brief interrogation, it was revealed that his tourist visa had expired. The Spaniard and his companions were taken to the nearest detention center, where he was scheduled for a court hearing in November. Barreno noted that he did not have a lawyer and could not apply for asylum, as he had no children in the U.S. and no criminal record.
Awaiting a decision
For several months, Barreno was held in various detention centers—first in Indiana, then in Kentucky. He spent Christmas and his 39th birthday there while waiting for a decision on his case. According to him, conditions were harsh: a lack of personal freedom, constant uncertainty, and isolation from the outside world. At the Kenton center, where he ended up after the holidays, the Spaniard shared space with regular inmates and other foreigners awaiting deportation.
Deportation and return
At the end of March, the Spanish consulate in Chicago was able to locate him and issue the necessary documents for his return. Barreno received a temporary identity document, and after a few weeks was transferred to Chicago, where consulate staff gave him his travel document. It was only in early May that ICE bought him a ticket to Madrid, and Barreno returned home with a minimal set of personal belongings—the same ones he had when he was detained.
Consequences and restrictions
Upon returning to Spain, Barreno reported that he is now banned from entering the United States for the next ten years. He noted that during his time in American detention centers, he lost touch with his usual life and faced psychological pressure. His story is a reminder of the difficulties foreigners face in the U.S. amid tougher immigration controls. In similar cases involving rule violations and deportation, Spanish authorities and consulates provide support to citizens, as has been the case in other high-profile incidents, for example, when a Madrid resident managed to recover a large sum after being defrauded.
