A green card holder who has lived in the United States since childhood told Newsweek he was "suddenly detained" by immigration agents at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston after returning from a business trip.
Curtis J. Wright, 39, a Canadian national and lawful permanent resident of the U.S., was taken into custody on November 6 after being flagged for additional screening by federal immigration authorities upon reentering the country from Mexico, according to family friend Daniel Henn.
Wright, a business development manager for an oilfield valves and equipment sales and manufacturing company, was traveling for business with his company's COO and CFO when agents stopped him at the immigration checkpoint.
During the screening, officials reviewed his green card and criminal history, citing a misdemeanor conviction from more than two decades ago -- a minor-in-possession offense involving a Xanax tablet -- as grounds to challenge his immigration status, Henn said.
"I am really struggling to deal with the fact that I am incarcerated for having done nothing," Wright told Newsweek in a statement from inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. "I was told that it was related to a misdemeanor crime I had committed when I was 17 years old, which confused me, as this was 22 years ago, and I had already had this adjudicated and paid my penance at the time."
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Public records reviewed by Newsweek indicate Wright's criminal history consists of low-level misdemeanor cases dating back to the early 2000s. They include a 2004 citation for evading detention and a misdemeanor drug-possession charge involving less than 28 grams of a prescription medication.
Subsequent cases in 2016 included a minor drug-possession allegation that was later dismissed and a misdemeanor charge for carrying a handgun in a vehicle. In 2018, Wright was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, a case that was later resolved in court.
None of the offenses were classified as violent or felony-level crimes, but immigration officials reviewed the cumulative record during his screening at the airport and ultimately flagged a decades-old possession offense as grounds to challenge his permanent resident status.
"The evading arrest and second conviction he was not charged and the case was dismissed. Regarding the illegal possession of a weapon, that was simply his wife's gun that she had left in his glove compartment and when stopped he explained this, but they still charged him as he had no license for the weapon," Wright's parents told Newsweek.
Wright was immediately placed into ICE custody and has since been transferred between three detention facilities in Texas over roughly six weeks, including centers in Pearsall and, most recently, the La Salle County Regional Detention Center near Laredo, his family said. He has not appeared before an immigration judge. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for January 16, after two prior court dates were postponed.
According to the family, Wright has lived in the country for almost three decades and has been a legal permanent resident for 24 years.
Wright described the experience as deeply stressful and complained about the conditions inside the detention center. He also criticized the length of his detention and the uncertainty surrounding his immigration hearing.
"I was told that I would be held until I could appear before a judge for a hearing on my immigration status, which I am still awaiting after seven weeks," he said.
"The conditions in the facilities are abysmal, and the food is of an extremely low standard. Facilities such as outdoor areas or libraries are extremely limited or nonexistent. These are not places anyone would want to be in for any length of time," Wright continued.
The Trump administration is moving forward with what it calls the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, targeting both undocumented immigrants and those with valid documentation. Dozens of green card holders and applicants have been caught up in ICE raids and at routine check-ins. Newsweek has reviewed a copy of Wright's legal permanent resident card, which expires next year. Federal authorities are also pursuing green card holders with past criminal records.
"My message to the administration is that my dream was to become an American citizen and live my life out with my family here in America. I have three American children and an American fiancée, in addition to the fact that both of my parents are now American," Wright said.
"I fully understand with the ICE organization a need to secure the American borders and to find and deport hardened criminals. However, I struggle greatly with the arrest and incarceration of people who are in the country legally and trying hard to make a good living and be a good citizen while raising a family here in the United States."
Wright's detention has left his family shattered. His fiancée, Kayla Thomsen, said she was struggling to care for their young children alone, and his parents -- Jim and Bonnie Wright -- said they were heartbroken over his absence. The family said Wright's 16-month-old daughter with Thomsen searches for him daily, while they grapple with the emotional and practical toll of his sudden removal from their lives.
"Curtis is an absolute scholar of a man. You don't find people like him these days. I've witnessed his remarkable growth and success in life. He's someone I genuinely admire and look up to," Thomsen told Newsweek.
She emphasized Curtis' role as a father and that he fought for two years to secure 50-50 custody of his two sons from a previous marriage.
"He is an incredible father. He prioritizes spending quality time with his children and family, regardless of his busy work schedule or charitable endeavors," she added.
"While Curtis may have made mistakes in his life, as we all do, taking him from his family for actions that occurred when he was 17 and in his early 20s is simply unacceptable," she said.
Thomsen called the detention "absolutely devastating," adding of the sudden upheaval in their lives: "It feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. I went from having a dream life to becoming a single mother."
Wright's parents, who are naturalized U.S. citizens, described the detention as "heartbreaking and surreal," noting that their son had well-established roots in Texas.
"We are extremely distraught that our son has been incarcerated. We are now just beginning to accept that we will not have him home for Christmas or the foreseeable future," they said in a joint statement to Newsweek.
"It is so sad to see him away from his children and fiancée, especially at this time of year," they added.
Wright attended the University of Houston, graduating cum laude from the Bauer School of Business with a degree in business and marketing and making the dean's list at least twice, his parents said. Since graduating, he has built a steady career and currently works as a sales and business development manager at KJS-Chromatic, a company specializing in the sale and manufacture of oil field valves and equipment, his parents added.
Henn, a close friend, told Newsweek that Wright was a recovering alcoholic committed to sobriety.
"He and I are both recovering alcoholics, and I have been his sponsor since approximately July of 2022," Henn said in a phone interview.
"His character is really something you have to experience to fully appreciate. He is a really special human being and truly the kind of person that makes his community better just by being a part of it," he added.
As of now, Wright remains in custody awaiting his court date before an immigration judge, separated from his three children and unsure when, or if, he will be allowed to return home.
"He doesn't deserve to be in that place; he deserves to be with his family. We need him," Thomsen said. "This man poses no threat to society; in fact, he contributes significantly to the United States of America and to so many American people."