Lorenza Temaj Jiguan, a Maryland resident originally from Guatemala, has been stranded in her home country since May due to a U.S. visa processing suspension. Temaj, 34, who entered the United States without authorization in 2009 and was in the final stages of obtaining legal permanent residency, had traveled to Guatemala for what was expected to be a brief visit to complete the last steps of her visa application. Instead, she remains unable to return to Maryland, separated from her family.
The visa processing halt came in January under the Trump administration’s directive to suspend visa approvals for citizens from 75 countries, including Guatemala. Officials cited the pause as a measure to restrict the entry of individuals who might rely on government assistance, labeling them as potential “public charges.” The suspension, intended to be indefinite, has prevented the processing of hundreds of thousands of legal immigration applications.
Temaj’s case has drawn attention due to complicating factors. She had received a waiver from the U.S. government in 2025, shortly before President Donald Trump assumed office, which was supposed to guarantee her reentry to the United States. Her older daughter, also born in Guatemala, successfully completed green-card processing without issues two years ago. Additionally, legal counsel had advised Temaj and her husband, Samuel Wilbanks—a U.S. citizen—that her visa process would proceed despite the new restrictions.
Despite these assurances, Temaj has been unable to return home and resume life in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, where her family lives in a home near the Chesapeake Bay and she helps care for an elderly mother-in-law. The disruption has forced her family to adjust to her prolonged absence, with her 10-year-old daughter, Ariana, facing milestones such as the start of fifth grade without her mother present.
Last week, a federal judge in New York ruled that the administration’s visa suspension violated antidiscrimination laws. However, U.S. officials have neither resumed normal visa processing nor accepted the court’s decision as grounds to lift the freeze, instead seeking to continue the suspension.
Temaj currently works 10-hour shifts at a seafood restaurant and remains in Guatemala, unable to reunite with her family and finalize her immigration status. Her situation underscores the broader impact of the visa freeze on numerous individuals caught in limbo by shifting U.S. immigration policies.