ARGENTINA · SOCIETY
Key Facts
- Arrest US immigration agents detained Argentine acrobats Agustín Baccega and Gustavo Romanello at Phoenix airport.
- When They landed from Florida on Saturday morning, 7 November 2026.
- Dispute Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says both overstayed; a friend says work permits and asylum claims are pending.
- Where Per a friend, both are held at Florence, an ICE site in Arizona; Argentine outlets place Baccega at Eloy.
- As of 14 November 2026, 17:30 GMT (12:30 p.m. US Eastern).
Two Argentine circus performers were arrested on arrival at Phoenix airport after years in the United States, a friend says they followed the rules, while immigration authorities say they overstayed their visas.
Published Saturday, 14 November 2026, 12:55 p.m. ET · Source: KJZZ, Página/12, Infobae, El Doce, ICE statement as quoted by KJZZ
Agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency that enforces immigration law inside the country, detained two Argentine circus acrobats at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Agustín Baccega and Gustavo Romanello, a couple who work together as acrobats, had landed on a Saturday-morning flight from Florida, KJZZ, a Phoenix public radio station, reported on 11 November.
Friends and relatives in Argentina are demanding their release and repatriation, and the family has started a fundraiser for legal costs, Página/12, an Argentine daily, reported on 14 November. The paper describes the men as young people from Córdoba.
What We Know
ICE spokesperson Fernando Burgos-Ortiz told KJZZ that both men legally entered the United States in 2020 and overstayed their visas, and that the arrests were part of a “targeted enforcement action”. He added that a work permit “does not confer immigration status”, so it does not stop ICE from arresting someone or starting removal proceedings.
Jonathan Batchelor, a friend and former training partner of the couple, told KJZZ the men came on visas, applied for asylum (a request for protection) once they arrived and hold valid work permits, with pending immigration cases and no criminal record. He said the men were not trying to skirt the law: “They were following the rules.”
Batchelor said two plainclothes agents approached the couple and told Baccega he was being arrested for being in the country illegally, or words to that effect. KJZZ reported that ICE did not answer questions about why the two were arrested despite their pending asylum claims.
Batchelor told KJZZ that, from short phone calls, the men are held at the Florence Service Processing Center, an ICE detention site in Arizona, and that as of Tuesday, 10 November, no one had been able to visit them in person. Infobae and El Doce, both Argentine outlets, say Baccega is at the Eloy Federal Contract Facility, another detention site in Arizona, and Romanello at Florence.
Infobae reports that the men were travelling to a friend’s funeral, and El Doce attributes this to friends and family, while KJZZ does not mention the reason for the trip. Infobae gives their ages as 34 (Romanello) and 42 (Baccega).
Why It Matters
A work permit lets a person be employed, and a pending asylum claim keeps a request for protection alive. ICE says neither grants legal status.
Both men lived in Phoenix before moving to perform at Orlando theme parks a few years ago, KJZZ reported, and the arrest came on a flight inside the United States.
What Is Not Known
ICE has not explained why the men were arrested despite pending asylum claims. Infobae and El Doce say Romanello has been given an immigration court hearing date, which they do not state, while Baccega is still waiting for his.
The funeral account is not in the KJZZ report.
Connected Coverage
Read more in our Argentina news hub and our wider Latin America coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the two acrobats?
Agustín Baccega and Gustavo Romanello are Argentine circus acrobats who work together and are a couple, according to Página/12. KJZZ reported they lived in Phoenix before moving to perform at Orlando theme parks.
Why did ICE arrest them?
An ICE spokesperson told KJZZ that both men entered legally in 2020 and overstayed their visas. Their friend Jonathan Batchelor says they have work permits and pending asylum cases.
Does a work permit protect against arrest?
ICE says no. Its spokesperson said a work permit does not confer immigration status or prevent arrest or removal proceedings.
Where are the two men now?
KJZZ reported, citing Batchelor, that both are at the Florence Service Processing Center in Arizona. Infobae and El Doce say Baccega is at the Eloy Federal Contract Facility instead.
Sources: KJZZ (Alisa Reznick, 11 November 2026), including the statement of ICE spokesperson Fernando Burgos-Ortiz and Jonathan Batchelor; Página/12 (14 November 2026); Infobae (14 November 2026); El Doce (13 November 2026). Cover photo: Phoenix Sky Harbor control tower and ramp, 2008, by K50 Dude (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error