South Florida woman married to an American is free after 6 months in ICE custody

A Venezuelan woman is back home in Hollywood after spending the past six months in ICE custody.

CBS News Miami has been following the legal fight led by her husband. Last week, a judge dismissed the case, clearing the way for her release.

Cellphone video captured the emotional scene when Gabriela Lozano Sousa walked out of the Baker County Detention Center in Jacksonville.

“In this moment, I feel like ahhhh. … When they called me, I’m like everything is working,” Lozano said.

Lozano has been in the United States since 2023 after entering on humanitarian parole. She married Brandon Garrison on April 17, 2025, two days before that status was set to expire.

They couple was arrested in October following a domestic dispute. That case was later closed, and Garrison was released, but Lozano was transferred to ICE detention, where she remained for more than six months.

“I feel like I lost like seven months … like I lost half my life, half one year, in jail,” Lozano said.

Garrison noted the ordeal has taken a significant toll.

“It’s been a lot, super financially draining, mentally draining,” he said. “We just want to regroup. I need to get back to work and everything like that because I was prepared to leave the country.”

Their attorney, Taymoor Pilehvar, says several legal avenues were attempted to secure her release.

“We tried asking ICE to let her out on humanitarian grounds, but it didn’t work. We went to a judge and asked for a bond, but he denied having jurisdiction over the case. We filed a habeas-corpus petition,” Pilehvar said. That petition was also denied.

Pilehvar then filed a motion to terminate the case. It was initially denied, but later approved, ultimately leading to Lozano’s release.

Despite the win, the family says the situation remains uncertain.

“Who knows, they could pivot and pull another move,” Garrison said. “There may be more speed bumps, more hurdles we’ll have to overcome.”

According to Pilehvar, ICE could theoretically detain Lozano again as a visa overstayer, even though she has a pending adjustment-of-status application.

There is a fundraising campaign underway to help cover legal fees and the costs associated with Lozano’s reintegration into society.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.