NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A nursing mother detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Nashville in May has been released after nearly three months in custody and reunited with her two young daughters, immigrant rights groups said.
The woman, identified by the pseudonym Maria Perez, was released Aug. 14 from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, according to Sanctuary of the South and the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition.
Perez was detained in Nashville while taking her children to a doctor's appointment. At the time, she was breastfeeding her infant daughter and also caring for a 2-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and other health complications.
While Perez was detained in Louisiana, advocates said her children stayed with a neighbor and missed medical appointments.
Her older daughter turned 3 this week, according to the groups, while her younger daughter is approaching her first birthday.
"While we celebrate Maria’s return to her children, the harm inflicted on this family was pointless, unlawful, and has created wounds they will carry for years to come," Katie Blankenship, managing attorney for Sanctuary of the South, said.
Sanctuary of the South and TIRRC argue Perez should not have been detained in the first place, pointing to an ICE directive that says the agency should not "detain, arrest, or continue to detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum or nursing" except under exceptional circumstances.
The groups are also criticizing the conditions of Perez's release.
They say she is required to wear a wrist monitor that must be connected to a wall outlet for hours at a time while she cares for her children. Advocates argue that also conflicts with ICE policy, which they say states postpartum and breastfeeding mothers "will not be placed on a form of [monitoring] that requires a radio frequency or global positioning system [GPS]."
"We will not stop fighting for Maria and for all the other mothers throughout Tennessee who are being taken from their children by a cruel and unaccountable administration," Spring Miller, senior director of legal strategy for TIRRC, said.
Perez is seeking asylum in the United States as a survivor of severe domestic violence in Guatemala, according to her attorneys. They say she has no criminal history and has complied with requirements in the immigration process since entering the U.S. in 2022.
Sanctuary of the South continues to represent Perez in her asylum case.
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