’90 Day Fiancé’: Larissa Dos Santos Lima’s ICE Arrest Was the Real Deal — Docs Reveal She Is in ‘Removal Proceedings’
90 Day Fiancé star Larissa Dos Santos Lima recently had a run-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Contrary to the rumors, it wasn’t a publicity stunt. A new report claims that ICE officials did arrest Larissa before releasing her on her own recognizance. Does this mean she’s in danger of deportation?
’90 Day Fiancé’ fans thought the arrest was a hoax
When Larissa confirmed that ICE had arrested and released her over the weekend, 90 Day Fiancé fans didn’t buy it right away. Many believed it was a hoax, and thought Larissa was begging for attention. But, as Soap Dirt notes, the arrest was very real. ICE officers arrested Larissa on Saturday at her boyfriend’s home and released her a few hours later.
Larissa’s boyfriend, Eric Nichols, and her best friend, Carmen, were forced to wait outside of the ICE facility. Since the building is usually closed on the weekends, they were denied entry. After Larissa’s release, she and Eric left Las Vegas.
Eric sold his home in Sin City and thanked his realtor on social media. This triggered rumors that he had purchased a home in Colorado for himself and Larissa. But, that’s not the case. While the 90 Day Fiancé stars did relocate to Colorado, they are living with Eric’s mom. There is currently no evidence that Eric and Larissa have purchased property in the state.
Eric needs to marry Larissa if she wants to avoid deportation
TMZ has obtained Larissa’s documents from the Department of Homeland Security that detail her situation. They reveal that she’s officially been “placed in removal proceedings” in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Brazillian native does have a hearing scheduled which will determine if she must surrender for removal.
At this point, it appears the only thing that could keep the 90 Day Fiancé star in the United States is if she marries Eric. This would allow her to apply for a CR-1 spousal visa and remain in America. Considering she and Eric just relocated to a different state together, that might be the plan.
Larissa first arrived in the United States in the spring of 2018 ahead of her wedding to Colt Johnson. As 90 Day Fiancé fans know, their volatile relationship led to Larissa getting arrested three times in the course of six months.
The first two cases didn’t go anywhere. But her third arrest in January 2019 resulted in a domestic violence conviction. After she completed her community service and classes, the court reduced it to disorderly conduct.
The ’90 Day Fiancé’ star says she’s ‘good to go’ after her arrest
Colt eventually removed his support for Larissa’s K-1 fiancé and they divorced. It appears that he removed his support around the time of her second arrest in the fall of 2018. This timeline tracks because there is currently a two-year backlog at USCIC for removal proceedings.
After her release from ICE custody, the 90 Day Fiancé star’s rep Lindsay Feldman clarified the situation with People magazine.
“Larissa was taken into custody from ICE early [Saturday] morning just as she was getting into a U-Haul truck with her boyfriend Eric Nichols, while preparing to move to Colorado for a fresh new start,” Feldman said.
She explained that the arrest was the result of a “misunderstanding,” and Larissa’s legal team is working it out. Larissa posted a video on Instagram to let her followers know that she was “good to go” after her arrest.
She also thanked everyone for their prayers. Meanwhile, Eric posted a video on Instagram and wrote, “”NOT EVEN ICE can tame my girl ❤️🤩💋.”
New episodes of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise air Sunday and Monday nights on TLC.
