"Yamamoto and De Leon’s husband, who was waiting in another room, were particularly taken aback that Hermelinda, 14, also was detained. Yamamoto was with the mom and daughter when agents asked the teen to empty her pockets. She pulled out her phone and a lip gloss.
“That moment was horrible,” Yamamoto said. “Her eyes got big, like, ‘Am I being detained right now?’ I’m glad they didn’t cuff them.”
In past experience, Yamamoto said, youths typically were allowed to stay with the other parent. De Leon’s husband, Abel, had arrived in the U.S. two years prior to his wife and daughter, fleeing gangs, and has had an active asylum application pending for more than a decade in a backlogged court system. The couple’s 10-year-old son, born in the U.S., remains with dad in their South Omaha home.
De Leon’s family received word a few days later that mother and daughter were together in a family ICE facility in Texas. Yamamoto said the mom likely has no chance to stay in the U.S., though Hermelinda appears eligible for an asylum interview."
~ Cindy Gonzalez
"Immigration enforcement ‘hit home’ for Trump supporter worried about ‘little buddy’ ICE detained • Nebraska Examiner"
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