NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville couple's routine immigration interview took an unexpected turn last week when immigration officials detained one spouse.
Dominique Flemister and his 28-year-old wife, Terez Metry, walked into the Department of Homeland Security's local office last Monday for what they believed would be a standard interview to prove their relationship as part of Metry's immigration process.
"He looks at us and says, you've been approved for your I-130. I'm like, okay, awesome, awesome," Flemister said.
The I-130 approval represents the first step toward obtaining a green card. However, moments after receiving the approval, immigration officials separated the couple and detained Metry.
"And I didn't get to say bye to her. I didn't get to see her," Flemister said.
Metry's family fled Egypt during the Arab Spring in 2011 when she was a teenager. They applied for asylum but were denied, leaving her with a removal order at 13 years old.
"She didn't know; her mother didn't tell her. And it wasn't until we got together and we started trying to do the whole entire process of trying to get her to become a citizen," Flemister said.
The couple has known each other since middle school and married three years ago at the Parthenon in Nashville. Flemister, a U.S. citizen, filed the sponsorship paperwork in late 2022.
"Because I feel like if you're doing something the right way and the way it should be done, I feel like you really shouldn't be punished for it," Flemister said.
Metry has no criminal record and has worked as a dental assistant at Tennessee Family Dental since 2018. Her coworkers described her as an exceptional person who didn't deserve this treatment.
"Here we have an individual who is a wonderful person, a wonderful human being, and has not committed any crimes. And yet she's treated like a criminal. And so I think most people would say that's a terrible injustice," Dr. Robert McDonald said.
"She did not deserve this type of treatment. She is an absolutely amazing person. There is no one that I could compare her to because she is just, she surpasses all of that, you know," Jasmine Sneed said.
Before her detention, Metry had been preparing to celebrate Valentine's Day with her husband.
"She loves to decorate," Flemister said. "We did everything together. Everything."
Instead of spending the romantic holiday together, Metry remains in ICE custody in Alabama.
"She is absolutely terrified. Absolutely terrified," Flemister said.
According to immigration attorneys, cases like these were often approved without incident in past administrations, with immigration agents typically focusing on individuals with criminal records. Metry's attorney says he has never had a client detained in a similar case and is seeking a temporary stay to keep her in the country.
Friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her legal defense costs.
ICE has not responded to requests for comment.
Metry's arrest while having no criminal record comes as a new, internal Department of Homeland Security document reveals fewer than 14 percent of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE last year had charges or previous convictions of violent crimes. It also shows that nearly 40 percent of those arrested didn't have any criminal record and were only accused of civil immigration offenses. Fewer than 2 percent had homicide or sexual assault charges or convictions, and around 2 percent were accused of being gang members.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@NewsChannel5.com
During a week when it seems that frustration is the prevailing sentiment felt across middle Tennessee amid ongoing power outages, Forrest Sanders brings us a story of love, faithfulness and a remarkable family... plus, a little humor on the side. Enjoy!
- Carrie Sharp
