Patrick Keating and his parents say they regret supporting Donald Trump after his Honduran wife, Anyi Hernandez-Escobar, faced possible removal from the US. Her departure could separate her from their 16-month-old daughter, while the seven-year-old boy she has raised might remain behind. The case has made immigration enforcement personal for a family who had backed it as a way to remove criminals.

Hernandez-Escobar entered the US in 2018, was detained and then granted temporary parole; she later married Keating and had a child with him. Although the couple’s family-based petitions were approved in June after nearly two years, an immigration judge refused to pause her removal case while she pursued a route to legal status. Her lawyer says a policy change ended the option of administratively closing the case; because Hernandez-Escobar entered without authorisation, she may have to return to Honduras and apply for a visa and waiver from there.