08/25/2026
Polo had legal status until one day in the first Trump administration. Due to an error by the immigration office Polo was left technically out of status, with no accessible pathway to correct it.
Paulo was detained in April 2025 after someone hit him from behind with a hammer. He was removed from the ambulance and interrogated for 17 hours in St. Louis. He never received any medical treatment or assessment for his concussion. Then, he was transported to Phelps County Jail in Rolla, MO.
Over the next 8 months, Polo was moved from facility to facility. Sometimes, he was in different county jails that are paid by ICE to house detainees. County jails have a long procedure to get medications approved by ICE. In ICE facilities, he received no medication for type 1 diabetes, was not allowed to test his blood sugar, and often was denied meals.
In El Paso, men went hungry enough to eat toothpaste. They slept sitting up in overcrowded cages under desert heat that often topped 100 degrees. Guards sometimes encouraged fights and even placed bets on them. Polo spent time in solitary after helping an elderly man who fainted. He was denied communion, a core part of his faith.
The time spent in El Paso, especially without medication, seemed interminable. Abide in Love strategically called and emailed on Polo's behalf, making sure his partner Julianne didn't have to do this alone and that the facility knew he had a community behind him, paying attention to his treatment. The facility chose to deport Polo.
If you would like to read the whole story, please visit the Abide in Love blog “Detention Diaries: One Family’s Fight to Stay Whole” under the News & Media tab. The whole story tells the impact to his American partner and children. They spent $89K on legal fees to try to get legal status back for Polo. Now, they are living in Mexico.
Full story here: https://www.abideinlove.org/detention-diaries
