Local // Houston

Wife of detained immigrant rallies supporters to his cause

Rose Ascencio-Escobar sat outside an immigration office for two hours after authorities detained her husband. She needed to cry.

Now, the 30-year-old said, it's time to fight.

Around two dozen supporters gathered Saturday with Ascencio-Escobar outside a detention facility where they once thought Jose Escobar would be held. They had hoped he would be able to hear the voices of his mother, brother and 7-year-old son. They wanted him - and others like him - to know they weren't giving up.

Three days had passed since Ascencio-Escobar, who is a citizen, and her husband, who had been granted temporary protection to live in America, found out during a routine check-in with immigration officers that his protection was being revoked under President Donald Trump's new guidelines. He has since been taken to a location in Laredo.

The image of her husband being taken from her and their two children, ages 2 and 7, brought Ascencio-Escobar to tears. "This is inhumane, separating families," she said.

Ascencio-Escobar stressed that her husband is not a criminal. They worked hard, she said, always trying to follow the rules. Jose may not have been an American, but they were living the American dream.

The middle school sweethearts met when she was 14. Relatives held large, framed photos of the moments that followed: their wedding, her pregnancies.

The family has faith he will return home.

"He is not a criminal," said his brother, Jorge Escobar, 20. "He is a hardworking man."

His 2-year-old daughter played with a sign she could not read: "Bring Jose Home."

His 7-year-old son, Walter, broke down trying to offer words. Ascencio-Escobar bent down to give him a hug.

Later, she recalled what Walter had told her when she explained why his father wasn't there.

"Mommy, I'll be the man of the house," he'd said. "I'll take care of you."

But she knows she is the one who must stay strong. And she had a message for her husband Saturday.

"Hold on."