“We Voted for Trump, Not This”: Now Our Green Card-Holding Son Is in ICE Detention

LUMPKIN, Ga. — Just a couple of miles from one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country, Martín Verdi and Débora Rey sat on the back porch of a modest hospitality house, waiting to see their son. They had driven nine hours from North Carolina to visit him at Stewart Detention Center, where he has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for weeks.

But this isn’t the story of undocumented immigration. Their son, Agustin Gentile, is a green card holder. He’s also the father of two young U.S. citizens, and he’s been in the country since he was a toddler.

“This is craziness,” Rey said, shaking her head. “We never thought something like this could happen to us.”

Verdi and Rey voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Like many voters, they were drawn to his promises of restoring border security and getting tough on undocumented migrants. What they didn’t expect was that Trump’s immigration dragnet would also catch their legally residing son.

“He said he was going after criminals and illegal immigrants,” Rey said. “Not people like Agustin. Not our son.”

Gentile, 31, was detained in April after returning from an international trip. Though he has held legal permanent residency for years, a 2020 misdemeanor conviction in California flagged him in the Department of Homeland Security’s system. When he appeared for a routine immigration appointment, he was arrested on the spot and later transferred to the Stewart facility in rural Georgia.

According to court documents, Gentile was convicted of infliction of injury and initially sentenced to five years of probation, later reduced to three. The case was closed in 2023. Still, ICE charged him with committing a “crime involving moral turpitude,” a designation that can lead to deportation for green card holders.

Rey and Verdi say they have struggled to explain the situation to their grandchildren, ages 6 and 8.

“They ask us where their dad is,” Verdi said. “We told them he had to take an emergency trip. What else could we say? We couldn’t tell them he’s locked up.”

The couple is now reeling from what they call a betrayal. They say they supported Trump under the belief that his policies would target undocumented border crossers and violent criminals—not legal immigrants who made a single mistake.

“We feel tricked,” said Verdi. “If we had known this would be the reality, we never would’ve voted for him.”

Legal experts say Gentile’s case is part of a broader pattern under the Trump administration’s second term. Green card holders who were once able to travel freely—even with minor infractions on their record—are now being flagged, detained, and fast-tracked into deportation proceedings.

“There’s essentially a zero-tolerance policy now,” said Charles Kuck, an Atlanta-based immigration attorney. “What used to be overlooked as a minor issue is now treated like a major crime.”

At Stewart, Gentile’s parents say conditions are grim. He sleeps with lights on all night, relies on commissary noodles because the meals are barely edible, and has limited access to basic toiletries. A spokesperson for CoreCivic, the private company that runs Stewart, denied these claims, saying detainees receive appropriate meals and hygiene supplies.

But for Rey and Verdi, the issue goes beyond food and sleeping conditions. It’s about fairness—and freedom.

“If this can happen to our son, it can happen to anyone,” Rey said. “We came to this country for opportunity, for safety. Now we’re considering moving back to Argentina.”

Their case is not unique. Across the country, legal immigrants are finding themselves ensnared in a sweeping enforcement system that now views minor past mistakes as grounds for removal. Even naturalized citizens are growing anxious.

“At the end of the day, we just want our son back,” Verdi said. “We don’t care about politics anymore. We just want to live in peace.”