Community organizers and church members gathered at the Church of the Trinity MCC in Manatee County on Thursday to call for the release of Eddy Macario.
The husband and father of two was stopped by police on May 27 and later transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to his wife, Benita Cantero. He's now being held at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach.
Cantero said her husband has no criminal record in the U.S. and made a living painting houses. He was on his way to work in Port Charlotte when police stopped him for a minor traffic infraction, Cantero said.
"They asked for bail, but they said that after paying the bail, they would call immigration to pick him up," she said in Spanish through a translator.
An investigation by Suncoast Searchlight found that, in many cases, defendants pay their bond — which can be hundreds of dollars — only to be transferred into ICE custody.
Since Macario's detention, life has become difficult, said Cantero.
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She had to stop working as a house cleaner after she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in 2023. Since then, her husband was the main breadwinner and caretaker for her and her children.
Cantero is in need of a liver transplant, but her own immigration status has complicated the process. She initially came to the U.S. from Mexico about 25 years ago without legal documentation.
During that time, Cantero has tried to apply for legal status through family petitions, but those pathways ultimately didn't work out, she said.
Now, Cantero is applying for a T Visa for her and her husband. The visa protects those who were victims of severe labor exploitation.
"I tell my son his father is coming back," Cantero said. "That's all I can say."
Macario is waiting for his next court hearing to be scheduled.
There, the judge will determine whether or not he will be deported back to his home country of Guatemala.
