Kunal Oberoi, a green card holder and longtime U.S. resident, spent nearly two months in an immigration detention facility after being flagged over a years-old marijuana-related charge an experience that has left his family reeling and sparked broader concerns about immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Oberoi, 37, legally immigrated to the United States from India over two decades ago. He’s married to a U.S. citizen, Brooke Choquette, and the couple is raising three American-born children in Michigan. But on January 9, while returning from a family vacation to India, Oberoi was stopped by federal agents at Detroit Metro Airport. ICE officers questioned him about a 2018 misdemeanor marijuana offense, and requested he return with a copy of the police report.
Oberoi complied, bringing the document back on February 3. But instead of clearing the issue, ICE agents took him into custody and transferred him to the Calhoun County Correctional Facility. He remained there for nearly two months, separated from his wife and children, before finally being released following an immigration hearing in April.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Oberoi was deemed “inadmissible” under the Immigration and Nationality Act because of his criminal record, which also includes two other charges from over a decade ago: one for assault and another for property damage stemming from a schoolyard fight when he was 18.
“Due to his criminal history including a drug charge, the individual was deemed inadmissible,” a CBP spokesperson told Newsweek. Oberoi was issued a Notice to Appear and handed over to ICE pending immigration court proceedings.
The arrest has devastated the family, both emotionally and financially. Choquette, 32, runs a home daycare and found herself not only caring for their children alone but also scrambling to cover legal expenses. She launched a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the mounting costs.
“I thought that we were safe,” Choquette said in an interview with The Independent. She and Oberoi were both supporters of former President Donald Trump, whose hardline immigration stance is now directly impacting their family.
The case is just one of many that highlights the sometimes-unintended consequences of aggressive immigration enforcement. Legal experts have raised alarms that under the Trump administration’s stricter policies, even lawful permanent residents green card holders can find themselves detained or facing removal over non-violent, years-old offenses.
“The attitude of ICE after Trump took office is really what kept him there,” said Julian Daman, Oberoi’s attorney.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) states that while green card holders can live and work permanently in the U.S., they must avoid actions that make them “removable” under immigration law. Controlled substance convictions fall squarely within that category, giving immigration officials the legal authority to detain and begin removal proceedings—even for permanent residents.
On April 16, Oberoi finally appeared before an immigration judge. Daman filed a request for cancellation of removal, a legal remedy that allows certain non-citizens to avoid deportation despite being deemed removable. The judge ultimately ruled in Oberoi’s favor, stating, “I always weigh things on a scale, good and bad. In this situation, I do feel that there’s more good than bad.”
The judge dismissed the case, allowing Oberoi to stay in the U.S., but warned that any future infractions could change that. After the hearing, Choquette and her children made a six-hour drive to bring him home.
On Facebook, Choquette described the ordeal as “an absolute living nightmare,” adding, “I can’t even put into words how awful and heartbreaking this experience has been.”
Read Also: “It’s Just a Distraction”: Klobuchar Says Trump’s Rights Threat Is a Cover for Economic Collapse
Oberoi is now pursuing U.S. citizenship, hoping to put the ordeal behind him. But the family remains shaken by the experience particularly given their support for the administration whose policies ensnared them.
For immigrant families like the Oberois, the line between security and vulnerability remains fragile. In a country where legal status should offer protection, this case is a sobering reminder of how easily it can be upended.
2 comments
Okay, so he came to America and was lucky enough to have a green card. Knowing the strict rules that comes with the green card he still chose to violate those rules and get a drug charge. The headline also says he’s a Trump voter. Green card holders can not legally vote so it sounds like he violated election laws too unless the journalist made up the headline for clicks. Either way he made choices and has to deal with the consequences.
the headline is confusing, how can he be a trump voter if he’s a green card holder?