...
By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The attorney for an "inconsolable" mother deported from the United States told Newsweek she disputes a claim by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that her client voluntarily chose to leave her one-year-old daughter behind.
Heidy Sánchez, 44, a resident of Hillsborough County, was one of 82 Cuban migrants deported from Miami to Cuba on Thursday morning, according to the Miami Herald.
Claudia Cañizares, Sánchez's lawyer, told Newsweek: "Since her removal, Heidy has been inconsolable. Their child is unaware of her mother's absence and continues to ask to be breastfed."
Read More on Politics
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has directed federal and state agencies to apprehend migrants without legal status as part of an aggressive push toward conducting large-scale deportations.
An AP-NORC poll, conducted between April 17 and 21 with 1,260 adults, found that 53 percent of respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of immigration policy. Likewise, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, conducted from April 18 to 22, revealed that 53 percent of Americans disapproved, while 46 percent approved.
...
What To Know
The DHS had said Sánchez chose to leave her child behind. "In this case, the parent stated they wanted to be removed without the child and left the child in the care of a safe relative in the United States," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.
But Cañizares said that the DHS account is inaccurate and that her client was not given the option to bring her child with her during her deportation.
She said: "She was not given the option to have her child accompany her. Instead, she was instructed to immediately arrange for her husband [Carlos Yuniel Valle] to pick up their child. Her husband was not allowed to enter the ICE office, and ICE agents directed the attorney to bring the child to him outside."
"I have confirmed with Carlos that Heidy specifically asked if she could remain with her child, to which ICE responded, "no, your child is a US Citizen," she added.
Earlier, Valle had told the Miami Herald: "The baby is distressed and does not want to eat. Imagine, they ripped the child from her mother's arms at the immigration office; the cries of that woman in there could be heard back in Cuba.
"I am here at the store trying to buy things so that I can send her a package with toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, sanitary pads and clothes."
Sánchez was detained during a check-in appointment at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Tampa. The following day, Valle, posted a video on Facebook, holding their daughter and pleading for help to prevent his wife's deportation. Last-minute appeals from Sánchez's attorney and Tampa U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor to halt the deportation were unsuccessful, Valle said.
Sánchez arrived in the U.S. in 2019, while her husband came to the country in 2006.
Cañizares said federal immigration authorities failed to disclose where her client was being held. She noted that ICE agents were aware Sánchez had a one-year-old daughter, as the child had accompanied her to a prior appointment.
In the less than 72 hours between Sánchez's detention and deportation, Cañizares and her team worked frantically to contact her and request a stay of removal to prevent her deportation on humanitarian grounds.
Although they suspected Sánchez had been transferred to Miami, they could not locate her at ICE facilities in Broward or Miami. In a final attempt, Cañizares went to Miami International Airport after finding Sánchez listed in a migrant locator system under U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody.
Airport officials denied she was there, and when Cañizares tried to reach a supervisor, a female officer hung up on her, according to the Miami Herald.
Sánchez is currently staying with her mother in Cuba after being deported from the U.S. However, the family has been asked to vacate the property, leaving them without stable housing. As a result, they are facing a difficult situation regarding their child's future. The family is now grappling with whether the child should remain in the U.S. with her father or join her mother in Cuba.
What People Are Saying
**Attorney Claudia Cañizares told Newsweek: "**Heidy presented strong humanitarian grounds to be granted more time in the U.S. We informed ICE that she was awaiting approval of her husband's petition, after which we intended to pursue a waiver. Additionally, we had requested her complete immigration file in preparation for a motion to reopen her prior removal order.
"Heidy had been diligently reporting to ICE since 2020, never missed an appointment, and actively worked to resolve her case. She had no intention of evading the law or remaining undocumented—she had a clear legal path forward and simply needed the opportunity to pursue it.
"Carlos is now deeply distressed over the wellbeing of both his wife and their child. Since her removal, Heidy has been inconsolable. Their child is unaware of her mother's absence and continues to ask to be breastfed."
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "We take our responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected.
"The Trump Administration is giving parents in this country illegally the opportunity to self deport and take control of their departure process with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said: "Heidy Sánchez was torn away from her baby and sent to Cuba. Her husband and child are citizens. We must resume family reunification parole and stop Trump from ripping babies from their mother's arms again."
Rep. Kathy Castor said: "The deportation of Ms. Sánchez is unlawful and inhumane. I will not stop fighting to reunite her with her family, including her nursing infant that she was ripped away from."
What Happens Next
The family has said that they will keep fighting for Sánchez's return to the U.S. and remain hopeful that humanitarian parole will reunite her with her husband and child.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines