Elton Stovell served in the Army during the Vietnam War. Now nearly 80 and disabled, he counts on his wife of more than 25 years, Blanca Espinoza-Chairez, to get through each day. She makes sure he takes his medication and keeps track of his doctor visits. Their daughter says Blanca handled nearly everything when it came to his care.

On November 5, Blanca, 65, showed up for a scheduled immigration court appointment in San Diego. Instead of going home, she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her family says she is now being held at an ICE facility in Calexico, California, and Elton is left without the person he depends on most.

“They’re talking about taking away my caretaker,” Elton told KFMB.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says Blanca was removed from the country three times, in 1997 and 2000, and that her returns put felonies on her record. Her family says those events happened more than two decades ago, that she has built a life in the U.S. since then, and that she chose several years ago to pursue citizenship.

ICE has the power to release people from detention while their cases move forward. A 65-year-old woman who came to court when asked, and whose disabled husband relies on her care, is the kind of case where that discretion matters. Releasing Blanca would let a veteran who served his country keep the caregiver who keeps him healthy.

This Veterans Day was the first in over 25 years that Elton spent without Blanca, according to their daughter, Rosalie Stovell.

Sign the petition to urge ICE’s San Diego Field Office to release Blanca now, before a disabled veteran loses the care he needs.