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Xiomara Companioni González, a 63-year-old Cuban woman, has been detained for over six months by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the El Valle detention center in Raymondville, Texas, with no criminal record and a medical condition that her family describes as critical.
According to her daughter Yaimi Yanet Companioni's report to Univision, Xiomara was detained on November 13, 2025 during a routine immigration check appointment, without prior notice, despite having met all legal requirements since her arrival in the United States in August 2022.
A sick woman who complied with the law
Xiomara entered the United States through California, voluntarily surrendering to immigration officers at the border. She was released under the I-220A form - Order of Supervised Release - and has since attended every annual appointment with ICE punctually.
He has a work permit valid until 2030, an active social security number, an approved family petition I-130 from his daughter—an American citizen who has been in the country for over 12 years—and an active appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) since March 2026.
"My mom is not a criminal; she is an elderly person, she is sick, and she has her whole family in this country," Yaimi stated to N+ Univision.
Xiomara left Cuba for political reasons. Her daughter warns that a deportation would be devastating: "My mom in Cuba, if she goes back, they are going to make her disappear."
A health condition that deteriorates without proper attention
The most alarming aspect of the case is Xiomara's physical condition. She suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, a hiatal hernia, episodes of anxiety, a gynecological condition that requires surgical intervention, and a mass in her right breast that needs regular monitoring to rule out cancer.
"My mother is in critical health at the moment. She has diabetes, hypertension, a hiatal hernia, a gynecological issue that requires surgery, bleeding, and a lump in a breast that was found before she was taken into custody," Yaimi reported to elToque.
According to her daughter, Xiomara can barely walk and ICE officials have to help her move around the center. Medical attention has been insufficient; she is given Tylenol for chest pain and a cream that, according to the family, worsens her gynecological condition.
"The medications they give her do not resolve her situation," Yaimi reported. The situation reached an extreme point when Xiomara attempted to harm herself within the facility. "She wanted to harm herself because she said she could no longer endure the pain she is in," her daughter recounted.
Three denied bonds and one rejected habeas corpus
Since November 2025, the family has practically exhausted all legal avenues: three bail applications, a habeas corpus filed in January 2026 —denied in May— and the appeal before the BIA.
"I have paid a lot of money, and so far, I haven't resolved anything," Yaimi lamented.
Immigration attorney Haim Vásquez explained the underlying legal obstacle: "The legal precedent established in the state of Texas and under the Fifth Circuit is that if you have entered through the border without being admitted, you are not eligible for bail."
This framework was solidified by the BIA's decision in the Matter of Yajure Hurtado case in September 2025, which eliminated the right to bond hearings for most detained immigrants who entered without authorization, and was upheld by the Fifth Circuit on February 6, 2026.
A pattern affecting dozens of Cubans with I-220A
Xiomara's case is not an isolated incident. Since March 2025, there have been documented mass arrests of Cubans with I-220A during routine ICE appointments, with at least 18 cases recorded in southern Florida in a single month.
Similar cases include those of Katia Pérez Baute and Suzel Velázquez Raigada, all of whom have reported inadequate medical care.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Xiomara "illegally entered in 2022 near Calexico, California," and that "she is receiving due process while remaining in ICE custody."
Her daughter rejects that version: “She is paying like a criminal for something she didn’t actually do; all she wanted was to be with us.”
The appeal before the BIA, in effect since March 2026, could take months or even years to resolve, while Xiomara's health continues to deteriorate within the detention center.
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