Eliel Rosa pardoned by Trump for Capitol riot involvement
An asylee from Brazil, Rosa hopes to get back on his path toward citizenship

Eliel Rosa has worked for the past eight years to become a U.S. citizen. An asylee from Brazil, he hit another roadblock recently when his request for a green card was denied. The reason: A spur-of-the-moment choice and a criminal record that followed. (Uhm - yeah storming the capitol - that is not spur of the moment)

On Jan. 6, 2021, Rosa took part in the storming of the Capitol Building after the so-called Stop the Steal rally. Photos and videos show him and fellow, now-former, Midlander Jenny Cudd in the Capitol rotunda after the mob of “patriots” had entered by force.
In all, Rosa was in the Capitol Building for 19 minutes, which in the years since have hampered his dream of citizenship.
“A few weeks ago, I was denied my green card. My wife has been denied access to her medical records. I can’t leave the country. My grandbabies in Brazil were denied visas from the American consulate, so they can’t come visit me,” Rosa told the Reporter-Telegram on Tuesday. “It’s been a nightmare.”
On Monday, Donald Trump was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president, and just a few hours back into the role he previously held as the 45th, it seems Rosa’s nightmare is over.

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His Day at the Capitol
Rosa’s passion for American politics led him to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I was in D.C. that day because I believed (Vice President) Mike Pence had the constitutional power to pause the certification of the election for 10 days."


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With Trump’s pardon on Monday, Rosa now hopes his goal of citizenship can get back on track.
Here in 2025, he’s in the same status as he was when he arrived: in asylum.

“Right now, I’m starting the whole thing from scratch,” Rosa said, though he now sees his path to citizenship not as a legal matter, but a political one.