<div>[En Español abajo]
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<div>On January 28th, 2026, Maria, a mother from Guatemala, went to her routine ICE check-in, just like she had been doing while waiting for her asylum case to be decided. <strong>By the next morning, she and her three children were deported. </strong>
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<div>Maria's asylum application was filed and in process, but the day she went for check-in at approximately 9:30am, ICE agents told her something she had never heard before: "Your case is closed."
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<div>She told the agents that she never received a notice. No letter. No hearing. No decision.
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<div><strong>Then they detained her- along with her 3 children, including her 8-month-old baby who is a U.S. citizen.</strong>
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<div>The hours turned into a nightmare. She and her children were held all day at the federal building in Los Angeles with only cookies and water. Her baby was not given proper food. She asked to call an attorney, they said no.
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<div>She was forced to choose: keep her baby with her in detention, or let her child be taken away. By 4pm, they began transporting her family under guard, on Delta Airline flights, alongside the public to Atlanta, GA and then to Alexandria, LA. When she asked where she was being taken, they said someone would eventually tell them. No one ever did.
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<div>Her children were escorted to bathrooms by an unrelated adult while she waited outside. They were all taken to an unknown hotel, kept in the dark, cold, and in the same clothes- not knowing where they were or what would happen next.
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<div>Less than 24 hours after her appointment with ICE, she was gone. She was deported- despite having a pending asylum case. No proof her case was truly closed. No due process.
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<div>When she arrived in Guatemala, she had no money, no help, and nowhere to go. Her family in Guatemala lives 7 hours from the airport. It was community members- not the government- who helped her get home. This is not just her story. This is about due process, child welfare, and accountability.
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<div>A few dedicated community members are working closely with this family and are in touch with Congressman Whiteside's office for support, but the family urgently needs an attorney. <strong>We are hoping to raise $12,000 for their attorney fees and temporary living expenses. </strong>Please help Maria and her children in their fight to reunite with her husband in the U.S.
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<div>Any amount is helpful, as is sharing this fundraiser with friends and community members. Thank you for your solidarity and support for Maria and her family.
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<div><em>Justine is a member of the Long Beach community working with local organizers to support community members impacted by ICE. All funds raised will go directly to Maria and her family.</em>
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<div><em>*********</em>
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<div>El 28 de enero de 2026, María, una madre originaria de Guatemala, acudió a su cita rutinaria con ICE, como lo había hecho de manera regular mientras esperaba una resolución sobre su caso de asilo. Su solicitud había sido presentada correctamente y seguía en trámite.
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<div>Durante la cita, alrededor de las 9:30AM, agentes de ICE le informaron —sin previo aviso— que su caso estaba “cerrado”. María explicó que nunca recibió ninguna notificación: ni carta, ni citatorio, ni resolución.
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<div>A pesar de ello, fue detenida ese mismo día. A la mañana siguiente, María y sus tres hijos fueron deportados, incluyendo a su bebé de 8 meses, quien es ciudadano estadounidense.
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<div>Las horas se convirtieron en una pesadilla. Ella y sus hijos fueron retenidos todo el día en el edificio federal de Los Ángeles, con únicamente galletas y agua. A su bebé no se le proporcionó comida adecuada. María pidió comunicarse con un abogado y se lo negaron.
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<div>Fue obligada a tomar una decisión imposible: mantener a su bebé con ella en detención o permitir que se lo quitaran. Alrededor de las 4:00 p. m., comenzaron a trasladar a su familia bajo custodia, en vuelos comerciales de Delta Airlines junto con el público, primero a Atlanta, Georgia, y luego a Alexandria, Luisiana. Cuando preguntó a dónde la llevaban, le dijeron que alguien eventualmente se lo diría. Nunca ocurrió.
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<div>Sus hijos fueron escoltados al baño por un adulto que no era familiar mientras ella esperaba afuera. Posteriormente, todos fueron llevados a un hotel desconocido, donde los mantuvieron sin información, con frío y con la misma ropa, sin saber dónde estaban ni qué iba a pasar.
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<div>En menos de 24 horas después de su cita con ICE, María ya no estaba en el país. Fue deportada a pesar de tener un caso de asilo pendiente. No existe prueba de que su caso estuviera realmente cerrado. No hubo debido proceso.
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<div>Al llegar a Guatemala, no tenía dinero, ni apoyo, ni un lugar a dónde ir. Su familia vive a siete horas del aeropuerto. Fueron miembros de la comunidad —no el gobierno— quienes la ayudaron a llegar a casa. Esta no es solo su historia. Se trata de debido proceso, del bienestar de la niñez y de rendición de cuentas.
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<div>Un pequeño grupo de personas de la comunidad está trabajando de cerca con esta familia y se encuentra en comunicación con la oficina del congresista Whiteside para brindar apoyo; sin embargo, la familia necesita con urgencia un abogado. Estamos buscando recaudar $12,000 dólares para cubrir los honorarios legales y gastos temporales de vivienda. Por favor, ayude a María y a sus hijos en su lucha por reunirse con su esposo en Estados Unidos.
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<div>Cualquier aportación es de gran ayuda, al igual que compartir esta recaudación de fondos con amistades y miembros de la comunidad. Gracias por su solidaridad y apoyo a María y su familia.
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<div><em>Justine es integrante de la comunidad de Long Beach y trabaja junto con organizadores locales para apoyar a personas afectadas por ICE. Todos los fondos recaudados se entregarán directamente a María y su familia.</em>
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Help Maria and Her Children Return Home After Deportation

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Help Maria and Her Children Return Home After Deportation

Still $7,491 to go. Help us build momentum.