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Mayra Gabriela Morales, a Bolivian mother, and her two children, aged 11 years and one and a half years, were released following a surprising arrest by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that took place after a court hearing this Tuesday.
Morales, who is married to Braulio Rodríguez - a Cuban naturalized American - traveled from Nebraska to San Antonio, Texas, to attend an immigration hearing.
They drove for three days, motivated by their commitment to "do things legally, to do things right," according to the words of Braulio Rodríguez, who shared his experience with the network Univision.
Although the original court date was not scheduled until 2026, the family was recently notified about a preliminary hearing, which was unexpectedly scheduled.
During this appearance, Mayra's case and that of one of her children was dismissed, providing an apparent momentary relief.
But what was supposed to be a simple legal procedure turned into a nightmare. Before the hearing ended, Braulio noticed that ICE agents outside the courthouse had photographs of his wife and children.
"Then there was an Immigration officer with a photo, and I asked why they were bringing their photo when we are not criminals in this country, or anything like that; we are legal people, we are good people," he recounted.
“No, they don’t speak, they don’t know. So I am going to see a lawyer because they submitted their residency application more than a year ago. They are eligible for the Cuban Adjustment Act because I am Cuban, and we are legally married,” he added.
Braulio's fear was confirmed at the end of the hearing on Tuesday, June 10. Mayra Gabriela Morales and her children were intercepted by ICE agents and taken to a detention center located on Crosspoint Street in San Antonio.
The uncertainty within the detention center
Inside the center, Mayra faced an uncertain outlook.
"I knew I shouldn't be there because we had done everything, all the paperwork, on time. When I left, nobody told me what was happening. I didn't know if I was going to stay, if I was going to leave. I didn't know where they were going to take us. I didn't know anything," she recounted with a broken voice.
When demanding to speak with an ICE officer, she was given two surprising options: accept one thousand dollars to be voluntarily deported to her country or stay and appeal the dismissal.
"He told me, 'You shouldn't be here, let me see your case. They can give you a thousand dollars and you can go back to your country, or you can appeal,' and I replied, 'I am going to appeal.'"
But the appeal was not straightforward.
According to Mayra, the presiding judge did not want to review any of the documents she presented, including her marriage certificate, her proof of university studies in the United States, and USCIS immigration papers.
"I brought my marriage certificate, I brought my papers showing that I am studying here in the United States, I am attending university. I brought the papers for my children, the USCIS documents, I brought everything and he didn't want to see anything. Then he told me that they were going to put an ankle monitor on me and that they would let me out so I could fight my case outside," explained the cited media outlet.
Release under monitoring and with a new judicial venue
Finally, after discussing her situation with an ICE officer, Mayra and her children were released. She was fitted with an electronic monitor on her ankle and was granted a month to submit her formal appeal.
Furthermore, the case was moved to Nebraska, allowing him to continue his immigration process without the burden of returning to Texas.
It was not an isolated case. Mayra informed Univision that a Honduran family arrested on the same day was released under similar conditions, suggesting a possible broader policy or practice by ICE.
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