CHICAGO — Just a year after his career took off, Omar David Panqueva, known as DJ TUNJO, made it to one of the largest music festivals in Chicago earlier this summer. It was a dream come true for the Colombian native to play a set at Sueños Music Festival at Grant Park in May. He had arrived in the U.S. with his husband, Santiago Paez, just a few years ago.

The couple quickly became key to Chicago’s nightlife, curating events and performing in some of Chicago’s most popular venues. They were getting ready for their biggest venture yet: following Colombian pop star Karol G’s tour across the country, hosting unofficial after-parties.

But on Sunday morning, as the couple walked out of their rideshare outside Midway Airport, they were apprehended by federal immigration agents. The two were on their way to take a flight to Washington, D.C., the first stop of the tour. They never made it through the door.

The Department of Homeland Security said it had arrested Panqueva, 26, and Paez, 27, for overstaying their visas, which both expired in 2022. But their attorney, Enrique Espinoza, said the pair had applied for asylum within the required time frame before their visas expired. Both of them have asylum cases, Social Security numbers, work permits and the documents required for their ongoing legal process, Espinoza said.

“This sends a message that even people who are complying with every requirement the government has imposed can still be detained,” he said. “The delay in their immigration case isn’t their fault. It’s because the system is overwhelmed.”

After their arrest, the couple was quickly transferred to the Clay County Jail in Indiana, alarming their loved ones above and beyond the usual concerns. The couple was seeking asylum because of the persecution they faced in Colombia as members of the LGBTQ+ community. They worry how the couple will fare in an all-male facility.

“My brother paints his nails and expresses himself freely,” said Silvia Paez, sister to Santiago Paez. “Thankfully, he tells me the people around him have been kind, but I still worry. He’s in a cell with a lot of men.”

Espinoza and Paez both say the men do not have any criminal history, and in its statement, DHS did not list any such record, either. Instead, Espinoza said the couple’s arrest appears to align with what immigration attorneys across the country have observed in recent months: an increase in ICE arrests at airports of people traveling domestically with expired visas but pending immigration cases.

Expired visas are common among immigrants who are awaiting decisions on asylum claims, visa extensions or green card applications, and who are often granted work authorization while their cases are pending.

In the past, these immigrants generally were not prioritized for deportation unless they had committed crimes, according to immigration law experts. Under President Donald Trump, however, visa overstays are increasingly being treated as immigration violations subject to enforcement, marking the latest tactic in his push to carry out his promised mass deportation campaign, troubling immigration advocates.

“What seems particularly troubling is that the current administration has been arresting people who overstayed their visas but still have some status or protection that authorizes them to remain in the U.S. and work, without going to the trouble of rescinding their work authorization or status,” said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel for Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Santiago Paez’s sister Silvia said the couple is “in shock,” after living and working in Chicago for the past couple of years. “They weren’t expecting this at all,” she said.

Both Panqueva and Paez are fans of Colombian superstar Karol G. The pair hosted their first two unofficial after-parties following her concerts at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 24 and 25. They were scheduled to continue the series in at least 14 more states as the tour traveled across the country.

On Sunday morning, Miriam Paz, a fellow Chicagoland DJ and a mutual friend of the couple, received a phone call with the caller ID reading “DHS ICE.”

Paz, who performs under the stage name DJ Miriam, is an event curator who has worked with Panqueva for more than a year.

Panqueva was calling her from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview after his arrest. The call came in around 7:30 a.m., and during the roughly 20-minute conversation, he explained what had happened.

“He seemed calm on the phone, but I know him on a deeper level to tell that he was scared through his voice. You could tell that he was trying to remain calm,” she said.

Paz said Panqueva has become an important figure in Chicago’s Latino music scene, creating a safe and welcoming space with his music and support of fellow local DJs.

“His impact here in Chicago is that he has created spaces where Latinos feel welcome and represented,” Paz said. “He uses music to bring people together across cultures and backgrounds. His goal has always been community over personal recognition and he has become a positive role model in Chicago’s Latin music scene.”

The unofficial after-party tour following Karol G was the couple’s first taste of national attention. Panqueva’s social media posts leading up to the show series were embraced, gaining “a lot of buzz at a national level,” according to Paz.

David Gallo, who had been promoting DJ TUNJO’s “Take A Chance” tour in Washington, D.C., did not learn of the arrest until Panqueva failed to appear for Sunday’s event.

Panqueva had been scheduled to headline one of the first after-parties at Zebbie’s Garden, a venue with a capacity of about 430 people.

“He did have a lot of people looking forward to seeing him,” Gallo said.

Although relatively new to the music industry, Panqueva has built a growing following within the Latino community in Washington.

In a statement posted on social media, ACRO Presents, the entertainment company Panqueva collaborates with, said: “Tunjo is more than an artist to us, he is family. He has brought so much joy, energy, and love to our community, and right now, we want to show up for him in the same way he has always shown up for others.”

For Silvia Paez, her brother’s growing success makes his arrest even more difficult to understand.

“This (arrest) is the perfect example that many people being arrested are not a danger to anyone,” Silvia Paez said. “They have no criminal history. They never missed a court date. They were creating community. People love them. They were contributing to this city.”

Both Panqueva and Paez are creatives at heart. They were seeking a safe place where they could express themselves fully as a gay couple, she said. And they found that community in Chicago.

“My brother is a tour manager, and together they create events that bring people together and uplift the Latino community,” Silvia Paez said. “They built a really beautiful, strong community through music.”

According to Silvia, Santiago and David applied for asylum based on persecution they faced in Colombia as members of the LGBTQ community.

“They didn’t feel safe in Colombia because they are part of the LGBTQ community,” she said. “Like so many others, they were looking for a better life, one where they could express themselves more freely and be accepted.”

For advocates who work with LGBTQ+ immigrants, the couple’s detention reflects broader concerns about how immigration enforcement affects a population that has often fled persecution because of their identity.

“Immigration cannot be separated from a person’s identity,” said Manuel Hernández, executive director of the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA). “Many LGBTQ+ people leave their home countries precisely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That is the root of why they’re seeking asylum.”

ALMA has seen a sharp increase in the number of LGBTQ+ immigrant families seeking help. The organization assisted about two dozen families in 2022. This year, he said, that number has grown to more than 600, according to Hernandez.

Many are looking for trusted organizations that can connect them with legal resources, housing, food assistance and affirming healthcare without fear of discrimination or being forced to disclose personal information.

Hernández said advocates are particularly concerned that LGBTQ+ immigrants often receive little consideration for their identities once they enter immigration detention.

“They become just another person in detention,” he said. “There is often no consideration for the vulnerabilities that come with being LGBTQ+.”

Despite the circumstances, the couple has tried to remain optimistic behind bars, said Silvia Paez.

The DJ and entertainment community in Chicago have raised nearly $20,000 in a GoFundMe as of Wednesday to help cover legal expenses and other costs.

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