Eddy Macario reunites with his family. But his wife Benita remains seriously ill.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: October 17, 2025
Host: He is home. A father of two and husband of a seriously ill mother is reunited with his family in Bradenton after he was released from ICE detention. This comes after the surprising ruling of an immigration judge. Ramon Lopez brings us this exclusive.
Ramon Lopez: The ongoing immigration crackdown that threw one Bradenton family into extreme distress has seen nothing short of a miraculous turn of events.
Family photos in the Macario Cantero home. Photo courtesy Benita Cantero
But the mother of two, who is homebound facing a serious health challenge, remains in peril.
Fortunately, her husband, who was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detention for months, was very recently released from custody, no longer faces deportation and is home to care for his family.
The gravely-ill immigrant is Benita Cantero, mother of an 11-year old boy and a six-year old girl, both born in Bradenton. But Benita and her husband, Eddy Macario, are undocumented.
On May 27, Eddy Macario, a housepainter, was pulled over in Port Charlotte by a Charlotte County deputy sheriff for a minor traffic infraction. Without a driver’s license, he was arrested for the violation, then turned over to ICE agents. More than 200 police departments in Florida are partnered with ICE as President Trump makes good on his promise to deport millions without legal documentation.
Macario was born in Guatemala. He crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on foot into Arizona. He arrived in Bradenton in 2006. 42-year-old Benita Cantero arrived in Bradenton six years earlier from Mexico. They met in church in 2009, fell in love, and married three years later.
ICE’s Broward Transitional Center
Eddy spent his 36th birthday at ICE’s Broward Transitional Center, located in Pompano Beach, Florida. He said he was fed well and treated fairly by the guards because he “kept his head down.” He was paid $3 a day unloading supply trucks to pay for phone calls to home. The work and the phone calls helped him pass the time. He remained in good spirits because of his faith in God. Each day, he attended 5 a.m. prayer sessions.
On Wednesday October 1, he appeared before an immigration judge for his final hearing on ICE’s request to deport him to Guatemala. In the hearing room was the judge, the federal prosecutor and Eddy. Benita and Eddy’s lawyer appeared via video hookup.
Benita two years ago was diagnosed with auto-immune cirrhosis and desperately needs a liver transplant. As a result, she had to stop cleaning houses, and the illness has taken a toll on her. No income, no medical insurance and no husband made life difficult for her and the children.
The government prosecutor said her health problems did not have any bearing on the case.
The judge reviewed Eddy’s immigration case and listened to details of Benita’s health crisis, then left the hearing room. He returned within two or three minutes, with a one-page signed order of release. It allowed Eddy to go home to Bradenton to take care of his family. It also suspended his ICE-recommended order of removal to Guatemala.
WSLR did not attend the immigration hearing. We learned of the outcome from an informed source who is close to the family and was fully briefed on what happened in court. Benita and Eddy were not available to be interviewed for this report by WSLR, although attempts were made to reach out to them.
Many such cases have ended up with the undocumented detainee either deported under court order or choosing to self-deport to escape imprisonment. Why not this time?
Eddy Macario, Benita Cantero, and their two children with faces blurred for privacy. Courtesy Benita Cantero
The informed source believes Benita’s health was the deciding factor. Benita’s testimony on her failing health, the impact on the family and her inability to take care of her children and herself weighed heavily on the judge’s ruling. The source said: “It has to be the only reason. Otherwise, he would have been deported.”
After hearing the judge’s ruling, Eddy sobbed and Benita cried. Eddy then asked to address the court. Granted permission, he thanked the judge for allowing him to be reunited with his family and take care of his sick wife.
Eddy was released from custody two days later, on Friday, October 3. Members of his church in Bradenton drove him home for a much-awaited emotional family reunion. But it was short-lived, as Benita the following Monday took a turn for the worse and was admitted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital where she stayed for four days. When he wasn’t taking care of the kids, Eddy was at the hospital watching over Benita.
So far, they haven’t been able to celebrate his birthday or his release from ICE detention.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the family with ever mounting medical and legal bills.
This has been Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.