Immigration officials detain Cuban mother during routine check-in, send her back to Cuba without child
A Cuban woman living in Florida with her 17-month-old infant daughter and American husband has been forcibly deported to Cuba, separated from her still-breastfeeding child in what critics are calling another example of harsh immigration enforcement under the new Trump administration.
Heidy Sanchez was suddenly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in late April after being called in for what her attorney believed was a routine appointment. ICE officials took her into custody, forced her to surrender her infant daughter to her lawyer, and deported her to Cuba, according to multiple sources familiar with the case.
“They never gave me the option to take my daughter,” Sanchez told CNN in an interview after her deportation. She recounted the devastating moment when agents informed her, “Call the father to come get her; you are staying here.”
Family separation without warning
Carlos Valle, Sanchez’s husband, was not permitted to enter the room where ICE agents were questioning his wife. When agents informed Sanchez of her imminent deportation, they prevented her from seeing her husband or personally transferring custody of their daughter to him. Instead, her attorney was forced to take responsibility for the child, Valle told The Guardian.
The appointment had been hastily rescheduled by ICE, moved from its original date to the following day, giving the family minimal time to prepare.
U.S. Representative Kathy Castor expressed outrage over the situation in a post on X: “Today I met with Ms. Sanchez’s husband, Carlos. Their story is not only upsetting but infuriating. The Trump Administration is ripping families apart for political games. We are pursuing every action to reunite this family and, unfortunately, are still waiting for a response from the White House to explain their illegal actions.”
Long immigration journey
Sanchez first entered the United States from Mexico in 2019, during the first Trump administration’s controversial “Remain in Mexico” program, which required asylum seekers to wait across the border for immigration appointments. Fearing cartel violence targeting Cuban immigrants in Mexico, Sanchez crossed the border and informed U.S. immigration officers that her life was in danger. Officials allowed her to remain in the country.
After spending nine months in immigration detention, she was released and permitted to live with her family in Tampa, Florida. According to her attorney, attempts to halt the deportation process were met with bureaucratic obstacles and “the runaround” from authorities.
Mother and child separated
Valle told The Guardian that his wife is struggling to maintain contact with their infant daughter from Cuba due to limited WiFi access. The child, who is still breastfeeding and has health issues, cries constantly and calls for her mother.
Sanchez was reportedly informed that her daughter must remain in the United States but may be permitted to visit her in Cuba, according to The Guardian’s report.
As the family works with legal representatives and lawmakers to reunite, the case has drawn renewed scrutiny to immigration enforcement policies under the second Trump administration, which began in January after his victory in the 2024 presidential election.
