On Jan. 2, 2026, Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole stopped 43‑year‑old Angel Acosta Ramirez near the 29‑mile marker on Highway 65 for allegedly speeding. The arrest report shows Ramirez was traveling at 90 mph, well above the posted limit.
Immigration hold after the stop
During the stop, deputies discovered Ramirez had entered the United States illegally before applying for asylum. He was booked into the Christian County Jail on an immigration hold. His wife, 30‑year‑old Maria Fernanda Arrioja Romero, arrived later with their documents and was also placed under an ICE hold, though she faced no other charges.
Both were transferred to the Greene County Jail, where Ramirez spent six weeks and Arrioja Romero spent 13 weeks before being deported. Their four‑year‑old son, Santiago, who is on the autism spectrum, remained in the United States under the care of a local family until the parents were returned to Venezuela.
Family’s background and asylum claim
Acosta Ramirez, a former mechanical engineer, and his wife, a nurse, fled Venezuela in 2022 after facing persecution by the ruling regime. They traveled through Ecuador, crossed a treacherous river, endured detainment, and spent three weeks living on the streets before reaching the Ozarks. The family settled in Branson, where they obtained work visas and sent Santiago to school.
They applied for asylum and were authorized to work in the United States. Their case was affected by the Trump administration’s decision, begun in March 2025, to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants, a move that reduced protections for more than 600,000 Venezuelans living in the country.
Arrest details and legal follow‑up
Ramirez denied the speeding citation and said he was unaware of any traffic violation. He told reporters he stopped for gas and noticed an officer following him. An interpreter relayed his statement that he believed his paperwork was in order.
Online court records indicate Ramirez was ticketed for exceeding the speed limit by 20‑25 mph. A warrant for his arrest was issued on March 26 after he missed a scheduled court appearance; by that time he had already been deported.
Community response
While the parents were detained, Ozark resident Denise Meyers, an English‑ and Spanish‑speaking teacher, helped locate a local family to care for Santiago. She coordinated with volunteers to expedite a court date, allowing the child to be reunited with his mother before the family’s joint deportation.
Arrioja Romero told reporters that the family feared returning to Venezuela but felt they had no choice. Ramirez expressed confusion over why the family was separated during the process.
Broader context
The U.S. Department of State reports ongoing human‑rights abuses in Venezuela, including arbitrary killings and torture. The United Nations Refugee Agency notes that Venezuelans continue to flee severe violence, hyperinflation, and shortages of food and medicine.
TPS, granted in 2021, had provided work permits and protection from removal for Venezuelan migrants. The administration’s termination of TPS has left many families vulnerable to detention and deportation, as illustrated by the Acosta Ramirez case.
What’s next
Christian County Sheriff Cole declined to recall details of the Jan. 2 stop, stating that any action would have stemmed from a traffic violation. The family’s experience highlights the intersection of local law enforcement actions with federal immigration policy, raising questions about due process for asylum seekers and the impact of changing TPS protections.
Original reporting: Springfield Daily Citizen — read the source article.
