Bradley Bartell, a Wisconsin resident and longtime supporter of Donald Trump, is now reconsidering his political stance after a deeply personal experience with the administration’s immigration policies. His wife, Camila Muñoz, an immigrant from Peru, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents upon their return from a honeymoon in Puerto Rico. The situation has left Bartell shocked and frustrated, forcing him to confront the realities of the strict immigration policies he once supported.

Muñoz, who originally came to the U.S. on a visa, had overstayed her permitted time but was in the process of securing legal residency. She had already applied for a green card, had a legal work permit, and paid taxes like any other contributing member of society. Despite these efforts to comply with the law, ICE agents detained her at the airport, treating her as an undocumented immigrant subject to removal. Bartell was blindsided.

Like many Trump supporters, Bartell had believed that the administration’s tough-on-immigration stance was aimed at criminals and individuals who posed a danger to society. He never imagined that the policies he supported would lead to his own wife being taken into custody. Now, as he deals with legal battles and the uncertainty surrounding Muñoz’s future, he’s questioning whether the system truly differentiates between dangerous criminals and those who are simply caught in bureaucratic limbo.

Bartell’s story highlights a broader issue with U.S. immigration enforcement under Trump: the lack of distinction between undocumented immigrants who have built stable lives in the country and those with criminal records. Under the administration’s approach, even immigrants taking steps toward legal residency are at risk of detention and deportation. While Trump has consistently framed his policies as necessary for national security, critics argue that the broad, indiscriminate nature of the enforcement leads to the unnecessary targeting of families and individuals who contribute to their communities.

Bartell worries about his wife. “Emotionally, I’m concerned for her,” he said. “It can’t be easy being trapped in a room with 100 other people. They don’t have anything in there. It’s just so wasteful.”

They keep in touch on 20-cents-a-minute phone calls. She worries about Bartell’s son, whether he is eating well or misses her Peruvian cooking. The money the couple saved for a down payment on a home has evaporated into attorneys fees and savings to pay a bond for her release, if she’s given that chance.

This isn’t the first time a Trump supporter has been personally affected by the administration’s policies. Over the years, there have been several cases of voters who backed Trump’s immigration crackdown only to find themselves, their families, or their employees caught in its wide net. These moments often serve as wake-up calls, showing how political rhetoric and real-life consequences don’t always align.

For Bartell, the situation has been a painful lesson. While he still supports some conservative policies, he now sees flaws in the approach to immigration enforcement. He hopes his wife’s case can be resolved and is speaking out in hopes that others reconsider how immigration policies affect real people, not just statistics or political talking points.

Whether stories like Bartell’s will lead to broader changes in public opinion remains to be seen. But for those who once believed that immigration enforcement would only target the “bad guys,” it’s becoming increasingly clear that the reality is far more complicated.