HOUSTON, Texas — Houston-area businessman and longtime Republican John Gannon is asking President Donald Trump to intervene in the detention of his fiancée, Yasmin Suarez Reyes, a Venezuelan-born Spanish citizen arrested by immigration agents at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on July 24.

Gannon continues to support Trump’s efforts to remove violent criminals from the United States. He argues that Suarez Reyes belongs in a different category: She entered the country legally, applied for asylum and had a valid federal work permit when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took her into custody.

“I am frustrated and miss my fiancée greatly as she remains in custody,” Gannon said in a statement provided to Katy Christian Magazine.

Gannon and Suarez Reyes have been together for almost a year. They completed Catholic marriage preparation through Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood and were planning to marry this fall.

The couple was traveling to Las Vegas for a business conference when ICE agents arrested Suarez Reyes inside IAH. She is now being held at the Montgomery Processing Center near Conroe.

Gannon is a prominent Houston-area businessman who owns more than 1,000 billboards across the United States, along with several businesses in Mexico. He has described himself as a lifelong conservative Republican and voted for Trump in all three presidential elections in which he appeared on the ballot.

Suarez Reyes entered the United States legally in October 2023. She was born in Venezuela but lived in Spain for several years and holds citizenship in both countries.

According to Gannon, her father was a journalist and political dissident who faced persecution under the governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. The family eventually fled Venezuela.

“Yasmin’s father was a reporter in Venezuela who was an outspoken critic of the corrupt Maduro regime, which led to his persecution and the persecution of his family, who were forced to flee Venezuela,” Gannon said. “For these reasons, Yasmin applied for asylum immediately upon legally entering the United States.”

Gannon and Suarez Reyes’ legal team said she could not rely on protection from the Spanish government because of the political circumstances affecting her family. Her Spanish citizenship could become an issue during the immigration proceedings, but DHS has not publicly addressed that part of her case.

Suarez Reyes made what is known as an affirmative asylum application, meaning she voluntarily requested protection after entering the country rather than waiting to raise an asylum claim after being placed in removal proceedings.

Information supplied by her legal team indicates that she filed the application while she was still within her authorized period of admission. Under the affirmative asylum process administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an applicant is generally interviewed by a USCIS asylum officer before the agency decides the claim or refers it to immigration court.

While her application remained pending, Suarez Reyes received an Employment Authorization Document allowing her to work in the United States. She also obtained a Texas driver’s license. Gannon said both documents were valid and in her possession when ICE arrested her.

Federal rules allow certain asylum applicants to seek employment authorization after their applications have remained pending for the required period. A work permit authorizes employment, however, and does not by itself grant formal immigration status.

 

Why DHS Says She Was Subject to Arrest

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Suarez Reyes’ arrest and acknowledged that she entered the United States legally on Oct. 24, 2023. According to DHS, her authorized admission expired Jan. 19, 2024.

The department maintains that Suarez Reyes overstayed that authorized period and is therefore subject to removal. DHS also said that pending immigration applications do not confer legal status and that her claims will receive due process before a Justice Department immigration judge.

Gannon said immigration specialists have told him the interaction between her visa, pending asylum application and work authorization is not straightforward.

“I have done my research and have been told by immigration experts that my fiancée’s ICE matter falls into a gray area related to her visa situation,” he said.

Attorney Anne Kennedy, who represents Gannon and Suarez Reyes, disputes the government’s position that her detention is warranted. Kennedy has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking judicial review of the detention.

“She has violated no law, and yet ICE arrested her, has refused her parole, and has kept her jailed now for two weeks,” Kennedy said in a statement issued when the detention reached the two-week mark.

“We have filed a habeas writ, but we are really hoping the Government will take a second look at this, so this couple can fulfill their dream of getting married.”

DHS has not publicly accused Suarez Reyes of violence or another conventional criminal offense. Its stated basis for taking her into custody is the alleged immigration overstay.

Gannon Appeals Directly to Trump

Earlier national reports quoted Gannon saying he felt betrayed by the arrest and would no longer support Trump. In his subsequent statement to Katy Christian Magazine, Gannon took a different position and reaffirmed his support for the president.

“I previously voted for President Donald Trump in all three of his elections and would do so again today,” he said.

Gannon also emphasized that his request for Suarez Reyes’ release should not be interpreted as opposition to immigration enforcement or to the agents responsible for carrying it out.

“I 100% support the President’s efforts to detain and deport dangerous criminal aliens who have committed crimes such as murder, rape, assault, DWI and the like,” he said. 

“That is the policy that I supported when I voted for President Trump on three separate occasions, and my support for President Trump in the deportation of violent criminal aliens has not wavered. I also support the hardworking and dedicated agents of I.C.E. who work tirelessly to keep violent criminals off our streets.”

Gannon believes the president would view Suarez Reyes’ case differently if the facts were brought directly to his attention.

“The President cannot know the details of every immigration enforcement action,” he said. “I believe President Trump is fair, and if he knew the details of this case, I believe he would correct the problem and free Yasmin.”

He also credited the administration for its actions against Maduro’s government and appealed to Trump on behalf of a family that he said had already suffered under the Venezuelan regime.

“Yasmin and I thank President Trump for putting an end to Nicolás Maduro’s reign of terror and freeing the people of Venezuela in their time of need,” Gannon said. “We hope that he will free Yasmin now in her time of need.”

Readers who want to ask the administration to review the case may send a message to President Trump through the White House.

As of Wednesday, Suarez Reyes remained at the Montgomery Processing Center. A hearing in her case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. Katy Christian Magazine will follow the hearing and provide updates as the case develops.