Legally paroled asylum seeker held at routine check-in

A San Diego pedicab driver who fled Turkey after being tortured because of his religious beliefs is the latest among hundreds of people who have been arrested across California at routine immigration check-ins, according to advocates, his attorneys and his wife.

- BY WENDY FRY

Idris Demirtas, 25, sought asylum in El Paso in December 2022 and was legally paroled into the United States that month. He was issued a five-year work permit. A biomed student in Turkey, Demirtas has no criminal history in his home country or the U.S., according to his wife and attorneys.

"He is the sweetest, most loving and kind person. Everyone who meets him loves him. He's very family-oriented and a fair-minded person," said his wife, Mae Bovenzi, who was born and raised in San Diego.

His attorneys and Bovenzi said Demirtas has scars on his body from physical violence he suffered in Turkey because he is not a member of the Muslim faith.

"He's never told me everything about what exactly happened, but he has scars all over his body," Bovenzi said.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of State issued a report finding in Turkey "significant human rights issues included credible reports of: enforced disappearance; torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government or on behalf of the government."

The United States during the second Trump administration is deporting people to countries that were mostly off-limits in the past, such as Iran. In the past, authorities have been forced to either hold those immigrants indefinitely in detention or release them into the U.S. That means immigrant communities from countries that previously did not have to worry about being deported now have renewed cause for concern.

A review of ICE Flight Monitor housed at the Human Rights First organization shows zero deportation flights to Turkey between January 2025 and October 2025.

In April 2022, Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported deporting a Turkish national who it said was suspected of providing support to terrorist organizations to Istanbul. The agency reported deporting five Turkish people in the 2024 federal budget year.

Arrests ramp up at immigration court