To many, Suyapa Gálvez de Ruiz might seem like a familiar face — a neighbor, a fellow churchgoer, or someone standing in line at the grocery store. However, her family’s story reflects the growing impact of immigration enforcement policies in South Carolina.

Suyapa Gálvez de Ruiz said her family immigrated to the United States from Honduras in 1999. Her husband had been living and working legally under Temporary Protected Status, a designation that allows individuals from certain countries, facing unsafe conditions to remain in the U.S. That status was abruptly canceled earlier this year.

“He went to work like a normal day,” Gálvez de Ruiz said. “Once he left, they began following him.”

She recounted how two unmarked vehicles trailed her husband before he pulled over. Agents approached him, asked for identification, and informed him he would be detained.

“They were ICE agents,” she said.

Family faces emotional toll after sudden detention

The detention marked the start of what Gálvez de Ruiz described as a traumatic ordeal for her family, including their two sons, ages 15 and 13.

“I was dropping off my youngest at school when I found out,” she said. “I kept thinking, how am I going to tell my sons?”

Unable to deliver the news herself, she turned to a pastor at her church, who later told the boys. She said the emotional toll has been severe.

“It has been terrible for me and them, in many aspects of our life,” she said.

Transfers, limited contact complicate legal process

According to Gálvez de Ruiz, her husband was transferred among eight detention centers. He was quickly moved from Charlotte to a facility in Atlanta, where she said he was unable to communicate with family members or attorneys. At one point, he was sent to El Salvador, though it is not his homeland.

Despite the challenges, she said the local community rallied around her family. Neighbors offered letters of support and even volunteered to sponsor her husband.

“People knew they were detaining someone who isn’t a criminal,” she said.

Advocates report increase in enforcement, rising fear

Advocates say such cases are becoming more common. Data from the Deportation Data Project show immigration arrests in South Carolina have doubled compared to last year.

Judy Mobley, executive director of the Carolina Immigration Alliance, said while large-scale raids have not occurred in Rock Hill, enforcement actions are still affecting residents.

“We do have unmarked cars following immigrants, stopping them on the way to work,” Mobley said.

She added that fear extends beyond immigrant communities.

“Even U.S. citizens are worried,” Mobley said. “Because they look Hispanic, they fear they will be stopped. We have citizens now carrying passports or other identification to prove their status.”

Family separated, hope remains

Gálvez de Ruiz said she understands the role of immigration enforcement but believes individuals deserve fair treatment.

“If they are contributing to the community and are not causing harm, they should at least have the opportunity to defend themselves,” she said. “In my husband’s case, he wasn’t given that due process.”

Her husband has since returned to Honduras. Gálvez de Ruiz remains in South Carolina with their children, holding onto hope that their family will one day reunite.

“I still believe we will be together again,” she said.