Fear of being separated from son drives Florida mom with cancer back to Colombia
It has been more than two months since immigration agents came to take her husband. Now, afraid for her own life and for her son, she's headed back to Colombia.
'They called and said they were going to come to the house to check the ankle monitor,' she told the Miami Herald. 'About four or five cars arrived and they took him.'
Laura, 32, shared her story with the Herald following a Saturday night vigil for families caught up in the Trump administration's mass-deportation campaign. The event was organized by Semillas Colombia, which provides social services to Colombians living in Florida. The Herald is not publishing Laura's last name given her legal status.
As Laura tells her story, she and her husband Luis, 38, left their home in Cartago, Valle del Cauca in Colombia and crossed illegally into the United States from Piedras Negras, Mexico with their son Angel on Feb. 23, 2022. Laura said they came to South Florida because they wanted a better life for their 13-year-old child.
But Luis was arrested at their North Miami home and eventually sent to the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana on June 8. And then Laura began to feel stomach aches as she looked for a safe place to live with Angel.
She stopped eating and her stomach began to bloat.
'I thought it was the stress I was going through,' she said. 'I didn't go to the doctor because I was afraid. If I go to the hospital that is where they report you to immigration.'
After a month went by and her belly continued to grow, she couldn't deal with the pain anymore.
Laura had a decision to make.
'Either I stay with this pain or I leave it in God's hands,' she told herself.
She visited a Mount Sinai urgent care near Aventura, and was immediately sent to their main branch in Miami Beach. That's where doctors diagnosed her with gastric cancer and explained that it had metastasized to her lower body, including her ovaries, lungs and back.
Laura was hospitalized at Mount Sinai for eight days and spent another six at a Baptist Health hospital in Kendall, without insurance. She said her fear of going to the doctor wasn't just about getting deported.
'My biggest fear is that they would detain me without my son,' she said.
Laura says that, like her husband, she is slated for deportation. She said she applied for asylum and was denied, and then filed an appeal. She has a final order of deportation, she said, and now plans to return to Colombia with her son.
'I still have days that I want to stay here, but for now my decision is to leave,' Laura said.
On Saturday, she took time to talk with Angel and explain why they would move back.
'I told him, 'son, mom has cancer.' He said, 'But mom, is that an illness where you could die, right?' and I said, 'Yes, but you have to fight, son.''
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Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Fear of being separated from son drives Florida mom with cancer back to Colombia
Tears glistened on Laura's cheeks as one by one people lined up along the center aisle of the dimly lit Christ Lutheran Church sanctuary in Oakland Park to offer prayers, consolation and donations. It has been more than two months since immigration agents came to take her husband. Now, afraid for her own life and for her son, she's headed back to Colombia. 'They called and said they were going to come to the house to check the ankle monitor,' she told the Miami Herald. 'About four or five cars arrived and they took him.' Laura, 32, shared her story with the Herald following a Saturday night vigil for families caught up in the Trump administration's mass-deportation campaign. The event was organized by Semillas Colombia, which provides social services to Colombians living in Florida. The Herald is not publishing Laura's last name given her legal status. As Laura tells her story, she and her husband Luis, 38, left their home in Cartago, Valle del Cauca in Colombia and crossed illegally into the United States from Piedras Negras, Mexico with their son Angel on Feb. 23, 2022. Laura said they came to South Florida because they wanted a better life for their 13-year-old child. But Luis was arrested at their North Miami home and eventually sent to the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana on June 8. And then Laura began to feel stomach aches as she looked for a safe place to live with Angel. She stopped eating and her stomach began to bloat. 'I thought it was the stress I was going through,' she said. 'I didn't go to the doctor because I was afraid. If I go to the hospital that is where they report you to immigration.' After a month went by and her belly continued to grow, she couldn't deal with the pain anymore. Laura had a decision to make. 'Either I stay with this pain or I leave it in God's hands,' she told herself. She visited a Mount Sinai urgent care near Aventura, and was immediately sent to their main branch in Miami Beach. That's where doctors diagnosed her with gastric cancer and explained that it had metastasized to her lower body, including her ovaries, lungs and back. Laura was hospitalized at Mount Sinai for eight days and spent another six at a Baptist Health hospital in Kendall, without insurance. She said her fear of going to the doctor wasn't just about getting deported. 'My biggest fear is that they would detain me without my son,' she said. Laura says that, like her husband, she is slated for deportation. She said she applied for asylum and was denied, and then filed an appeal. She has a final order of deportation, she said, and now plans to return to Colombia with her son. 'I still have days that I want to stay here, but for now my decision is to leave,' Laura said. On Saturday, she took time to talk with Angel and explain why they would move back. 'I told him, 'son, mom has cancer.' He said, 'But mom, is that an illness where you could die, right?' and I said, 'Yes, but you have to fight, son.''
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