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Two Argentine Acrobats Detained by ICE at Phoenix Sky Harbor Face Deportation Fight
Gustavo Romanello and Augustin Baccega, acrobats who work at Universal Studios in Florida, were arrested by ICE agents after landing in Phoenix to honor a deceased friend. Friends say they have valid work permits through 2029, while ICE claims they overstayed their visas.
PHOENIX â Two Argentine acrobats who perform at Universal Studios' EPIC Universe in Florida are being held in federal immigration custody after being detained at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport last week, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a close friend.
Gustavo Romanello, 34, and Augustin Baccega, 42, flew from Orlando to Phoenix on Nov. 6 to attend a memorial for a friend who had died, said Jonathan Batchelor, a friend who has known the pair for years. ICE agents arrested Baccega immediately after the men stepped off the plane, Batchelor said, and Romanello was taken into custody shortly afterward.
"It was traumatic just to hear," Batchelor said. "I can't fathom what it's like to go through." He said he was on the phone with Romanello as the detention unfolded and received a photo showing Baccega being taken by a plainclothes ICE agent.
The detention has sparked alarm among friends and colleagues who describe the two men as deeply embedded in their communities. Both worked as acrobat coaches at the Arizona Circus Center, and Batchelor credited them with helping him believe he could pursue the discipline.
"They are so genuine, so authentic that everybody falls in love with them," Batchelor said. "I would not have stayed doing acrobatics if it hadn't been for them."
Friends say Romanello and Baccega applied for asylum in 2021 and were granted work permits that do not expire until 2029. Batchelor provided images of the permits to local media. "So they're paying taxes. They're paying social security. They're contributing to their communities," he said.
ICE, however, says the men legally entered the United States in 2020 but overstayed their visas by years. The agency characterized the arrests as a targeted enforcement action and said in a statement that "employment authorization, commonly referred to as a work permit, does not confer immigration status or prevent ICE from taking enforcement action, including arrest or removal proceedings."
Batchelor pushed back on the notion that the men pose any risk. "It's clear DHS didn't believe these people were dangerous," he said. "They would never have let them get on the plane if they thought they were actually dangerous."
After their initial detention, the men were taken to an ICE facility in Florence, Arizona, according to Batchelor. Baccega has since been moved several times, he said. ICE confirmed both men will remain in custody while their legal cases proceed.
The office of U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said it is aware of the situation and is working on the case.
Batchelor has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal fees and related costs. He said the ordeal has been devastating not only for the men but for the wide network of people who care about them.
"Augustine and Gustavo have a tremendous number of people who love them here," he said. "This is horrible for them, but it's horrible for everybody that this has happened to."
The case highlights the precarious legal position of many immigrants who hold work authorization but lack permanent status â a distinction that ICE says leaves them subject to enforcement at any time. For now, the two acrobats remain behind bars as their friends and elected representatives press for their release.