LOUISIANA — Maisa Lopes Eliaser was removed from a deportation flight to Brazil and released from federal immigration custody on August 13, 2026. The intervention occurred after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers received a phone call about her mid-flight.

Eliaser was placed on the deportation flight on Wednesday. An ICE officer asked her whether she wanted to continue to Brazil or return to the United States. She remained on the aircraft while other detainees were led off in Brazil, and the flight returned to Louisiana.

ICE officers told Eliaser she was famous because there were videos about her case. She spent more than a month in federal immigration detention before her release. Eliaser said she was treated like an animal in the detention facility.

"It felt like I was in a nightmare," said Maisa Lopes Eliaser. I could not believe what was happening until I returned to my house. She added that she is struggling to sleep and is afraid she will be sent back to the detention facility. Day by day, I’m trying to recover from this trauma, she said.

Eliaser is the wife of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo, a U.S. citizen. Jaramillo is a 43-year-old aviation operations specialist who has served in the Army for more than a decade. The couple has been married since 2024.

Jaramillo took leave from his duties training soldiers at Fort Polk, Louisiana, to care for Eliaser’s 5-year-old son after she was detained on July 8. He said he was told there will be no further issues with Eliaser’s case, though uncertainty remains regarding who authorized the stop.

"Who made the call? We don’t know," said Jaramillo. "But someone made the phone call, and then she came back." He described the anxiety leading up to the detention, stating, "We are really, really, really scared about it, but you know, we have to go." He also recalled telling an official, "I told the person who gave me the appointment, ‘Hey sir, don’t play with me, I’ve been through a lot.’"

The Department of Homeland Security stated that Eliaser, 32, was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on April 15, 2026. Eliaser overstayed the tourist visa she used to enter the U.S. in 2019. She was detained in July while at an immigration appointment.

Eliaser has another immigration appointment scheduled for Monday to reopen her case and advance her green card application. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Danitza James, head of Repatriate Our Patriots, commented on the outcome. Repatriate Our Patriots is a nonprofit that supports military families facing deportation and helped with Eliaser’s case. "This family’s reunion is proof of what’s possible when people set politics aside and do right by those who serve," said James. "We won’t stop until every military family facing detention gets the same chance at justice," she added.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona looked into Eliaser’s case. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A group of Congressional Democrats launched an investigation into deportations of military service members and their families following reporting on Eliaser.