Detained for Decades: A Family's Fight

0:00This is Canada News Today, powered by AI and presented by the Daily News Now. Curtis Wright, a 39-year-old man born in Edmonton, Canada, has lived in the United States for 30 years as a permanent resident with a green card. In November 2025, he was detained by immigration and customs enforcement while returning from a work trip in Mexico. The reason traces back to a drug possession charge from when he was 17, along with a couple of other old misdemeanors. Wright works in the oil and gas industry and had renewed his green card multiple times without problems. Officials say his criminal history made him ineligible for entry at the border, leading to mandatory detention in a Texas facility. He's been held there for over four months now. His family feels the strain deeply, especially his fiancee and three young sons, including a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter whose first steps he missed. She carries his pictures around the house and calls out for data whenever the phone rings. It's heartwarming, but heartbreaking for everyone involved.

1:03Court hearings keep getting delayed or canceled. A tactic Wright believes pressures people into voluntary deportation. Earlier this month, a judge ordered his removal without a full trial, despite evidence from his lawyer. Now they're waiting on a habeas corpus request to challenge the detention, with an appeal planned next. Meanwhile, Wright stays positive by helping other detainees contact their families and sharing resources from a fundraiser. These loved ones hope to resolve this soon, weighing options like moving to Canada if needed, but fighting to keep the family together stateside.