A distraught Yu Mei Chen says she can't believe her husband is facing deportation to China.

Immigration officers arrested Xiu Qing You last month after the couple showed up for an interview to get his green card. Chen says after a few questions, she was told to leave the room. She hasn't seen her husband since.  

You entered the U.S. illegally in 2000. He received a deportation order that year, but it had not been enforced until now.

Marrying a U.S. citizen made him eligible for a green card, but under President Donald Trump's tough immigration stance, obtaining permanent residency has become more difficult for many undocumented immigrants.

Chen, who is an American citizen, says she's surprised her husband was detained because he does not have an arrest record. She says he's a good man. 

"Every night, when I think about my husband, I always cry," she said.

The couple have two American-born children. They run a nail salon in Connecticut, but You was mostly a stay-at-home dad.

Chen says the last few weeks have been a struggle for her and the children. 

"My kids, everything. He took care of everything. I only do work," she said.

You's lawyer is fighting the deportation and appealing the denial of his permanent residency.

In a statement to NY1, Immigration Customs and Enforcement said, "An immigration judge ordered Yu to be removed from the country. He subsequently filed an appeal, which the Board of Immigration Appeal dismissed in December 2000. In May 2008, he filed a motion to reopen, which was also dismissed."

You is being held at a detention center in New Jersey, and he is getting a lot of support here at home. Several advocacy groups are planning a rally on Monday to protest has the detention.