SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Nearly two weeks after Springdale newlyweds Megan Taylor and Cesar Acosta were separated while returning from their destination wedding in Mexico, Cesar is set to return home on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The couple had their destination wedding on Feb. 9 surrounded by friends and family. While they were returning from their trip on Valentine's Day through Houston, Cesar, who is a permanent resident of the US, was taken by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Megan told 5NEWS that the reason given for the detainment was for a misdemeanor Cesar had committed in May 2013 during his senior prom.
"Thank you for your support in raising awareness. The support of you and everything else, including our politicians, helped bring Cesar home so quickly. We are so grateful," Megan said on Wednesday.
Cesar flew home on Feb. 22.
At around 4 p.m., Taylor along with friends and family gathered inside the XNA lobby awaiting Cesar.
When the Springdale man finally arrived, Megan immediately jumped into his arms and his loved ones began to cry. Cesar embraced friends and family after his long-awaited arrival.
Though the family asked for privacy at the moment, Cesar did share that his experience has made him want to change his focus—
"The experience is just something I don't wish on anybody, it was awful. I really want to ... help people that were in my situation because I really didn't feel anybody deserved that. There are a lot of people there that don't have any representation and really need a voice. And a lot of people just don't know their rights. Even though you're an immigrant, you still have rights ... I just want people to know that they're not alone and that kindness and love will always be above everything else," Acosta said.
The two had met in college at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) as partners in an English class.
"I reviewed his paper and I was so harsh on reviewing his peer review paper and he was so kind and he took it with grace and patience," Megan said.
Megan had received a scholarship to go to college in Arizona and so she moved there after attending NWACC. She said Cesar would visit her and eventually, the two began dating.
"He helped me get through some deep healing through the years too. He helped my Dad," Megan said. "My Dad was disabled. He's a disabled veteran. And I was my Dad's caretaker, and I was doing it on my own until Cesar came around."
Megan explained how Cesar was a helpful, gentle and patient caretaker, making her father feel special while in a vulnerable time of his life. "And he was like that to everyone," Megan said.
That's why on Feb. 9, after eight years as a couple, Megan and Cesar had a destination wedding in Mexico surrounded by their friends and family. Then came the detainment in Houston.
"He was detained for a misdemeanor that he got on his senior prom night in high school. Something very minor. It didn't harm anyone. It wasn't anything actually even rowdy like some seniors might do in high school. And he did everything he needed to for that to be closed," she said.
"Since then, he's built a life here. And if there was an issue, it should have been caught way before now. And now we have these repercussions that are unjust... it's not right, what's happening to him now," Olivia King, a friend of the couple, said.
According to Zach Taylor, a friend of the couple, the last thing Cesar asked the group in the airport was where they were going to be. "And I could see, like, he was scared on his face immediately, which really made me worried for him and his wife, Megan," Zach Taylor said.
Megan said after being taken to the questioning area, the group was told it would only be a couple of hours. They eventually missed their flight and she said she had stopped someone headed towards the restroom on how to contact Cesar. She was given a number and about seven hours in, she had finally spoken to Cesar.
Megan recounted their conversation and found out that neither had eaten yet. Megan also explained that that’s when Cesar informed her the detainment came from his misdemeanor in high school.
"Sitting at the airport hoping, you know, Cesar was about to come through the doors. We watched probably 10 more people come out of those doors and every one of them was bawling their eyes out... guys and girls it didn't matter. They were all terrified," Zach Taylor said.
According to Megan, Cesar had been granted a visa in 1999. After expiring in 2009, Megan said he got his permanent residency card and then again received one in 2019.
The couple had also been to Mexico multiple times before their wedding. Megan said they had driven to Mexico and also flew there in December to look at locations for their wedding venue. On their way back from their December trip, Cesar did meet complications and was told to bring his documentation. Megan said they had brought what they thought was necessary and were left confused when they had to leave Cesar detained.
"I didn't want to leave. But I didn't have any—I had nowhere to go. So yeah, it felt really wrong. And I'm heartbroken. And I felt like I wasn't doing what I should have done as a wife, a partner, like, you're not supposed to leave their side, but I wasn't able to be there with him. They wouldn't let me be there with him," Megan said.
Megan expressed that she would stick by Cesar's side. She further explained that she would leave behind a career, friends and family to be where Cesar is.
"We've been partners for eight years. And we just got married a week ago. And I'm not leaving his side now. It's just the beginning for us, and I'm praying that we get to continue our journey and build our future and our lives here," she said.
On Thursday, ICE responded to 5NEWS with the following statement:
- On Feb. 15, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) made a request with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston to detain Cesar Humberto Acosta Estrada, a 28-year-old Mexican national, pending disposition of his immigration proceedings.
- ERO Houston initially agreed to detain Acosta Estrada pending disposition of his immigration proceedings.
- Upon further review, ERO Houston determined that detention was not appropriate in Acosta Estrada’s case, and he was paroled into the U.S. and released from ICE custody on Feb. 22.
- Please contact CBP for questions related to Acosta Estrada’s arrest.