‘Sign or stay locked up’: Utah man describes weeks in immigration custody and a decision he didn’t understand

SALT LAKE CITY — Sergio Argañaraz said he was driving through his neighborhood on his way to work when flashing lights appeared behind him.

At first, he said, the vehicle didn’t look like a traditional police car. But within moments, multiple cars surrounded him — blocking him in from the front and back.

Minutes later, he was in handcuffs.

What followed, Argañaraz said, was a series of decisions made under pressure — decisions that could have sent him out of the country, away from his family and ended his ability to fight his case in the United States.

“I’m not really good at telling a story,” he said through an interpreter. “But everything happened very fast.”

A choice in custody

Argañaraz, a Utah resident originally from Argentina, said he was taken to an ICE processing facility in West Valley City. Within hours, he was approached about signing paperwork.

He described being told he had two options: agree to leave the country voluntarily, or remain in custody while his case moved through the immigration court system.

“They told me if I wanted to fight my case, I would have to wait for two years,” he said. “Then they started pressuring me … telling me ‘sign, sign’… and I felt like I had to make a decision.”

The paperwork, he later learned, was for what is known as voluntary departure — a legal process that allows some immigrants to leave the United States on their own rather than face a formal deportation order.

Immigration attorneys said it can be a strategic option in some cases, but it can also mean giving up the right to challenge removal in court.

Argañaraz said he did not fully understand the consequences at the time.

“I asked them to explain it to me because it was only in English,” he said. “And they said no, they wouldn’t explain it. And so I signed.”

Confusion and movement

After signing, Argañaraz said he remained in custody — but not in one place.

Over the next two weeks, he said he was transferred between facilities in Utah, Iowa and Nevada, sometimes spending hours in transit.

At one point, he said he was transported by bus for roughly nine hours without food.

“It was terrible,” he said. “I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

During that time, there were moments of confusion that added to his uncertainty.

He said agents told him he had a domestic violence record — a claim he said he immediately disputed. Later, he said officials told him they had made a mistake.

“They told me it was another person,” he said.

By then, he had already signed paperwork agreeing to leave the country.

What attorneys said

Adam Crayk, an immigration attorney representing Argañaraz, said the situation raises questions about how information is communicated to people in custody — especially when decisions carry long-term consequences.

“ICE agents are trained to do interdiction. They’re trained to arrest,” Crayk said. “They’re not supposed to be giving legal advice, ever.”

Crayk said the distinction matters because immigration law is complex, and the options available to someone can vary widely depending on their circumstances.

In Argañaraz’s case, Crayk said those circumstances included a legal entry into the United States, no criminal history and strong family ties.

“He has a lawful entry, no criminal history — he’s eligible to apply for a green card,” Crayk said.

That made the decision to sign voluntary departure especially significant.

“If that voluntary departure had stayed in place, he’d be in Argentina right now, not with his family,” Crayk said.

Undoing the decision

After Argañaraz’s family contacted an attorney, his legal team moved quickly to challenge the agreement.

Crayk said they filed motions in immigration court to have the voluntary departure set aside, arguing that Argañaraz had not fully understood what he was signing.

At a hearing, a judge ultimately agreed to throw out the agreement, allowing the case to move forward.

In a separate development, Crayk said the government later filed paperwork that did not support removal under the circumstances of the case. A judge dismissed the case, leaving Argañaraz no longer in active removal proceedings.

Today, he is back home in Utah with his family.

A broader system

Crayk said he does not believe the situation reflects how all immigration agents operate.

He said experienced officers typically follow established procedures and avoid making statements that could be interpreted as legal advice.

But he said the growing number of newer agents, combined with the complexity of immigration law, can create situations where detainees may not fully understand their options.

“I don’t know how often this is happening,” he said. “But even one case like this is too many.”

He also noted that immigration judges play a key role in the process — including explaining rights and evaluating whether someone may qualify for legal relief.

Federal policy and response

On Thursday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson provided KSL with the following statement:

Aliens are permitted to depart the United States on their own under a grant of voluntary departure. An immigration judge will grant the voluntary departure and give aliens a maximum amount of time —  between 60-120 — days to depart. In turn, the alien acknowledges their willingness to depart as ordered. If aliens don’t leave within the timeframe an order of removal will automatically be instated as of the date the person was granted voluntary departure.

DHS also has the authority to grant Voluntary Departure in select cases. While ICE officers do not provide legal advice, they do inform detainees that if they do not have a felony charge or conviction, they may be eligible for Voluntary Departure.

Voluntary Departure is a benefit and does not carry the same bar to returning to the United States as a typical removal order issued by an immigration judge.

Under federal law, voluntary departure is a recognized part of the immigration system. It allows certain individuals to leave the country on their own rather than remain in detention while awaiting a formal removal order.

The ICE spokesperson described voluntary departure as “an agreed-upon exchange of benefits,” saying that the individuals benefit by removing barriers to reentering the country and the government saves money on the deportation process.

Federal officials have also said that individuals in immigration proceedings are informed of their rights and have the opportunity to present their case before an immigration judge.

Advocates and attorneys, however, have long debated how that process plays out in practice — particularly in fast-moving detention settings.

‘I want this to help someone’

For Argañaraz, the experience is still difficult to process.

He described being released from custody in Nevada without clear direction, eventually reconnecting with family who helped him return to Utah.

Looking back, he said the most difficult part was making a decision he didn’t fully understand — one that could have separated him from his family.

“I want this to help someone,” he said.

---

Read more: ICE buys Salt Lake City warehouse, sparking concern an immigrant detention center is coming