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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A mother whose 10-year-old daughter was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Tennessee says she was forced to watch the child’s funeral by video call while being held in federal immigration custody, according to Univision, a Spanish-language TV network.
On October 5, 2024, Laura Ramírez-González and her daughter Emily Sánchez-Ramírez were struck by a vehicle while riding on Nolensville Pike in Nashville, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. Police said the driver fled the scene.
Ramírez-González and her daughter were riding an electric scooter toward Walmart shortly before 6 p.m. when they were struck, according to KPLC-TV. Her sister told the outlet Ramírez-González had been saving money to buy a car. Witnesses said the pair were in a designated bike lane when a vehicle swerved into it and hit them head-on before leaving the scene.
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"They were doing everything possible to save her. Truly—my entire life. And I just begged the doctor: 'Please, don't let her die,'" Ramírez-González told Univision.
Emily died from her injuries at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Ramírez-González was seriously injured and hospitalized following the crash, police said in a news release.
Metro Nashville Police later identified the vehicle involved and said the investigation led to arrests connected to the suspect’s alleged flight from the United States. Authorities said Orlin Argueta-Zúñiga was arrested for allegedly assisting the primary suspect, Walter Daneris Zúñiga, in leaving the country.
Police said the primary suspect was a Honduran national who fled to Mexico. The investigation remained ongoing, authorities said. Police have a warrant out for his arrest.
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ICE Detention and Funeral Claims
Emily’s body was returned to Colombia for burial, according to Univision.
The network reported that Ramírez-González was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a scheduled immigration appointment in January 2026 while pursuing a U visa, a form of immigration relief available to certain crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement.
It is unclear why the funeral took place in 2026, despite the child’s death occurring in 2024.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek: “On January 21, ICE arrested Laura Ramirez-Gonzalez, an illegal alien. She will receive full due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her removal proceedings. The Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law."
What Is a U Visa?
A U visa was created by Congress in 2000 to provide immigration protection to victims of certain serious crimes who suffer substantial physical or mental abuse and assist law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of those crimes, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Applicants must obtain certification from a law enforcement agency confirming their cooperation, per USCIS guidance. The status is typically granted for up to four years and can provide work authorization, with the possibility of applying for permanent residency after three years if eligibility requirements are met, according to immigration services.
Federal law limits the number of principal U visas to 10,000 per year, and applicants often face long waiting periods; those placed on a waiting list may receive deferred action and be eligible to apply for work authorization while their cases are pending, the USCIS says.
In January, ICE rescinded a policy that had generally directed agents to avoid detaining or seeking to remove immigrants who were victims of crimes, including those eligible for humanitarian protections, according to The Associated Press.
In a Univision broadcast interview conducted from a detention center in Louisiana, Ramírez-González described continuing to grieve her daughter’s death while in ICE custody. She told the outlet she was forced to watch her daughter's funeral via a video call.
In the interview, she described the circumstances of her daughter’s farewell, saying she was still hospitalized and recovering at the time and was able to say goodbye in the hospital before Emily’s burial.
The outlet reported Ramírez-González entered the United States in 2024 using a CBP One appointment with both of her daughters.
"Why did it have to be this way? When all we did was set out in search of a better future," Ramírez-González said.
Family Pays Tribute
The child's aunt told KLPC-TV that her niece was a fifth grader at Tusculum Elementary School who loved swimming and spending time with her friends, and said she was a calm, inquisitive child who dreamed of becoming a social media influencer.
“I’m so sad I can’t stop crying. I go into her room and see all the toys she liked to play with. I keep thinking this is just a dream that I can wake up from,” her aunt said.
Emily’s father, Jeisson Sánchez, told FOX17 he remained with the couple’s younger child in Colombia, and urged the driver to come forward while mourning his daughter’s death.
"She was very helpful, and she also helped her mother. The same reason why she was with her mother until the very last second," he told the outlet.
"How can a child be left with no life, a child who had great dreams?"
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