Two Epic Universe Performers From Argentina Held by ICE in Arizona After Flying From Orlando, as Friends Cite Pending Asylum Cases

Two acrobatic performers who worked in a live show at Universal Orlando's Epic Universe are being held in federal immigration detention in Arizona after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took them into custody at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to their friends, their attorney and the agency.

Agustin Baccega and Gustavo Romanello, both from Argentina, flew from Orlando to Phoenix on Saturday, Nov. 7, and were detained moments after getting off their plane, a friend and fellow performer told WKMG News 6. Friends describe the men as asylum applicants with valid work permits. ICE says they overstayed their authorized stay in 2021 and will remain in custody while their removal cases proceed.

The case has drawn attention across Central Florida's theme park community, where the two men performed in Universal's "The Untrainable Dragon" show at Epic Universe, and it lands as ICE reports record arrest and deportation numbers for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

What happened at the Phoenix airport

Accounts differ slightly on the reason for the trip. Alexa Nielen, a friend and fellow performer, told News 6 the pair traveled to Arizona to visit an ill friend. The Orlando Sentinel reported that they flew out to attend the funeral of a friend who had died a day earlier.

According to the Sentinel, plainclothes ICE officers grabbed Baccega as soon as he arrived at Sky Harbor. Their longtime friend Jonathan Batchelor was on the phone with Romanello as Romanello demanded answers, and Romanello was then taken as well. "They started asking him questions, and then one of them said, 'Do you have another pair of cuffs? There's another one,'" Batchelor told the newspaper.

Nielen shared with News 6 a photo that Romanello took showing Baccega being detained inside the airport. The Sentinel reported that the two, who are married, are now held in separate facilities about 25 miles apart: ICE's online detainee locator lists Baccega at the Eloy Detention Center and Romanello at the Florence Service Processing Center.

What ICE and the men's supporters say

ICE confirmed to News 6 that both men legally entered the United States in 2020. The agency said each "overstayed his authorized period of admission and remained in the United States unlawfully" in 2021, and that a work permit does not necessarily authorize someone to remain in the country.

An ICE spokesperson told the Sentinel the arrests were part of a "targeted enforcement action." In a statement to the newspaper, the agency said: "Employment authorization, commonly referred to as a work permit, does not confer immigration status or prevent ICE from taking enforcement action, including arrest or removal proceedings." The statement added: "As a result, Romanello and Baccega will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings."

Friends tell a different story about the couple's standing. Nielen told News 6 it is her understanding that both men applied for asylum after arriving in 2020, hold work permits and are awaiting permanent residency. She told the Sentinel the work permits are set to expire in 2029. The Sentinel reported that neither man has a criminal history.

Samuel Sketers, an Arizona-based attorney representing both men, told News 6 he is arguing that they should be released while their removal proceedings are pending. "When I visited them yesterday, they were very frightened. Very concerned," Sketers said. "Going through proceedings while in custody, your rights are almost entirely disregarded. The judges have every incentive just to move you on to the next case." As of Wednesday, the Sentinel reported, the men's lawyers had not filed habeas corpus petitions in federal court in Arizona.

Their lives in Central Florida

The Sentinel reported that the couple first built a life in Arizona, where they trained and performed at the Arizona Circus Center, before moving to Orlando. Romanello, a recent Full Sail University graduate with a degree in animation, has been a contracted stunt performer for Universal since 2025, the newspaper reported. Baccega also works for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which runs Orlando International Airport, and performs at the Pirates Dinner Adventure show in Kissimmee. A spokesperson for the aviation authority confirmed his employment to the Sentinel and said the agency is in touch with his attorneys.

"They are light, they are joy, they bring special moments to the people in those crowds every single day," Nielen told News 6. "They are the best friends, people and mentors you could have, and it is such a loss not having them here today." She told the Sentinel she has been contacting lawmakers and gathering the couple's paperwork ahead of their immigration court hearings. A GoFundMe page for their legal defense had raised nearly $38,000 by Wednesday afternoon, according to the Sentinel.

Universal Orlando did not reply to the Sentinel's request for comment, and no public statement from the company about the two performers had been reported as of Thursday.

Florida lawmakers weigh in

The office of U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, told News 6 the congressman is concerned about the detentions and plans to work to help the men and their families. Nielen told the Sentinel she also contacted Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody's office; Moody's spokespeople did not immediately respond to the newspaper.

A broader pattern at airports

The detentions come amid wider concern about immigration enforcement at domestic airports. In August, the American Civil Liberties Union issued a travel warning for noncitizens flying within the country, including people in the United States on temporary permits, News 6 reported. The ACLU said ICE had arrested about 800 people at airports between January 2025 and February 2026.

Nationally, ICE deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026 and made more than 491,000 immigration arrests, according to Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News. A CBS News analysis found that in July 2026, for the first time in Trump's second term, more than half of ICE arrests involved immigrants with neither criminal convictions nor pending charges. CBS News exit polling from the Nov. 3 midterm elections found 58% of voters said the administration's immigration enforcement had gone too far, and President Donald Trump told "60 Minutes" after the election, "I think it was too tough."

What's next

Both men remain in ICE custody in Arizona pending removal proceedings in immigration court. Their attorney is seeking their release while those cases move forward, and supporters are raising money for their defense. Nielen told News 6 she hopes they will soon be able to return to Central Florida.