An Everett husband says his family was torn apart in a matter of hours after his wife was arrested during a domestic dispute by local police officers and then transferred into federal immigration custody, leaving him scrambling to find her as she was moved across the country.
Rodney Brown, a U.S. citizen, told 25 Investigates he never expected his wife, Maria Susana Esquivel Huezo, would end up facing removal from the country since she’s married to an American, has a work permit and a pending asylum case.
“We really didn’t think that she’d end up in the situation where she could be sent away,” he told Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh.
Brown says it all began one night in August when he and his wife got into an argument. During the dispute, Brown said he took Esquivel Huezo’s phone.
“I grabbed her phone. She said maybe she’d call the police to Alexa. And Alexa heard that.” According to Brown, the home’s Alexa device contacted police, and Everett officers arrived within minutes.
Ring doorbell camera video obtained by 25 Investigates shows Everett officers leading Esquivel Huezo away in handcuffs. A police report states that both Brown and Esquivel Huezo slapped each other in the face and identifies her as “the primary aggressor.”
Brown is an American citizen. Esquivel Huezo is from El Salvador. Brown shared documents with 25 Investigates showing she has a valid work authorization card, a Social Security number and a pending asylum claim. He said she came to the United States about 10 years ago seeking asylum and regularly checked in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Brown said that the night of the arrest, Everett police said he could pick his wife up at the Everett police station in the morning. But he never got the chance.
“I took them for their word. I thought that she’d be in there,” Brown said.
Instead, Brown says the local arrest triggered a rapid chain of events that revealed how quickly a person can move through the federal immigration system.
According to Brown, within hours of her arrest, Esquivel Huezo was transferred from the Everett jail to an ICE facility in Burlington, Massachusetts. By the following day, he says she had been moved to a detention center in Louisiana. A week later, she was transferred again, this time to Arizona.
25 Investigates asked ICE how the agency became aware Esquivel Huezo was in custody in Everett. ICE did not directly answer that question.
Everett police declined an interview. However, a source familiar with the investigation said the notification may have been triggered when Esquivel Huezo’s fingerprints were entered into the system.
Brown said the uncertainty was overwhelming.
“I was also trying to find out where she was, I was thinking maybe she got deported already. I had an idea.”
He said he has spent thousands of dollars on attorneys in multiple states trying to keep his family together. Brown argues his wife had been complying with immigration requirements for years and was never attempting to avoid immigration authorities.
“She should be here. She’s been here for almost 10 years. She has an American husband, an American daughter. She’s working here for 10 years, paying taxes,” he said. “She’s checking in with ICE every year, and every year they’ve checked off on her.”
ICE disputes Brown’s characterization of his wife’s immigration status.
In a written statement to 25 Investigates, the agency said:
“ICE Boston arrested Maria Susana Esquivel-Huezo, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, Aug. 16 following her arrest by the Everett Police Department for assault and battery on a family or household member. Esquivel-Huezo entered the United States illegally Oct. 31, 2016, and has unlawfully remained in the country for nearly ten years in violation of U.S. law. She was ordered removed by an immigration judge Oct. 2, 2026. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
25 Investigates asked Boston immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau, who is not involved in the case, to review the circumstances.
“If you’re seeking asylum, that is a lawful immigration process,” Pomerleau said.
He noted that someone in Esquivel Huezo’s position would have already undergone screening by immigration authorities.
“So, somebody who has a work permit has obviously applied for asylum. Had their fingerprints taken, had their background check done.”
Pomerleau also noted that being arrested does not necessarily mean someone will ultimately be convicted. He says there is a lack of due process he sees in many immigration cases.
“Just being accused though doesn’t necessarily mean anything because there’s a process where you can seek dismissal of charges.”
25 Investigates asked ICE to clarify why the agency continued to renew her work permit.
In a second statement, the agency said:
“To be clear: work authorization and/or a pending application does NOT confer legal status in the United States. A pending application for relief does not preclude immigration enforcement.”
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