Latest news with #CaryLópezAlvarado
Miami Herald
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
The right's pro-life hypocrisy: Pregnant women face harm in ICE custody
Cary López Alvarado should have been resting. One week from her due date, she should have been counting down the days with equal parts exhaustion and joy. Instead, on June 8, she was shoved to the ground and shackled in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Hawthorne. A U.S. citizen, nine months pregnant, she was held for nearly eight hours before being hospitalized with stomach pain. ICE agents alleged she was obstructing their access to two undocumented immigrants in a public parking lot, one of them her boyfriend. There's a quiet violence in how ordinary this has become. A technical violation — no threat to public safety, no criminal record otherwise — somehow became enough to justify brute force. López Alvarado's story joins others: pregnant women pulled from cars, cuffed on asphalt and pushed onto the ground. These moments don't just reflect a lack of trauma-informed training among agents who could have made a conscious choice to de-escalate the situation, they suggest something more deliberate: the rescission of ICE's own 2021 11032.4 directive, meant to shield pregnant people from exactly this kind of harm. What frustrates me most, however, is a deeper hypocrisy in the moral fabric of the political right, especially those who claim to be 'pro-life.' I am disappointed in their severely myopic definition of the phrase, their selective drawing from conservative theology to protect only the fetuses deemed to be future children of white American citizens, while permitting violence to mothers and children who do not visually check said boxes. To be pro-life means to stand for the right to life; it is a conviction in the inherent dignity and consistent worth of all human beings. It means advocating for lives of safety: in immigration, in our daily lives and, most directly for me, as a medical student and future physician, in health care. An unborn child's worth should not disappear the moment their mother enters a detention center or is perceived by ICE as potentially undocumented. During President Donald Trump's first term, the detention of pregnant women rose by 52% after an Obama-era policy that generally directed immigration officials to release pregnant women from federal custody was rolled back. Advocacy groups have long documented the inadequate medical care and dangerous conditions faced by detained women, leading to irreversible psychological trauma, physical harm and even miscarriages. Perinatal mood disorders, such as maternal depression, have been linked to hypertension, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. For pregnant undocumented women, who already have baseline trauma from arduous immigration journeys where rape and disease are common, incarceration and the constant fear of deportation can serve as powerful stressors, contributing to a heightened risk of cardiovascular complications and, possibly, premature births. Along the border, immigration holding cells, colloquially referred to by migrants as hieleras or 'freezers,' often lack basic sleeping accommodations, showers and hygienic products like soap. Migrants spend up to several nights in congested quarters where infections spread quickly. For these women, it seems that their lives — and the lives of their children — are conditional. I chose to become a physician because there is relief in knowing the field of medicine endures on treating every human, regardless of their their past, politics or papers. Illness and death are universal, and in their universality, there is fairness. This vulnerability connects us far more than our ideologies divide us: I may never know whether my patient voted to build a wall or supported LBGTQ+ rights, and I also do not wish to know. What I owe, to myself and others, is to defend life with integrity. When advocacy on behalf of a patient falls short, the opposing party must be held accountable — whether it's myself, a colleague or a politician. López Alvarado ended up giving birth to a healthy baby girl, and the family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover medical costs and child care. Her boyfriend remains in detention out of state, unable to help with raising the child. Clarity doesn't come from choosing sides — it comes from choosing people. In every room, the fundamental respect of personhood — not politics — must lead. We are bound to complex social systems where race, socioeconomics and sex will always be relevant. Life does not begin and end in a womb. It is lived along borders where families are being torn apart; in mothers who have miscarried in detainment centers whose prayers say: 'When I die, bury me in comfy clothes and make sure my shoes are tied tight, because I have a long overdue play date with a little child.' When you hear someone is undocumented, let your first response be humanity, not fear or violence. There is enough space for all of us to win, even in a nation as broken as ours.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
Pregnant US citizen detained by Border Patrol agents: ‘We didn't do anything wrong'
(KTLA) – A pregnant U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents approximately two weeks ago has since given birth to a healthy baby girl, but her boyfriend is now being held out of state and her problems are far from over. Cary López Alvarado told Nexstar's KTLA that she 'tried to remain strong' during the scary ordeal, which took place outside a building where her boyfriend and cousin were doing maintenance work on June 8. She was nine months pregnant at the time. Video taken by López depicts her struggling with a masked agent wearing a Border Patrol uniform asking to see her identification as she was protecting a truck carrying her boyfriend Brayan Nájera and cousin Alberto Sandoval — the latter of whom is also a U.S. citizen. All three of them were eventually detained. Further footage posted on social media shows agents detaining López after they had pinned her truck between a wall. 'He's a U.S. citizen!' Feds seen in violent arrest of L.A. County man 'They had my boyfriend on the ground already, and they had tackled my cousin down … that's when I was inside the car just banging on the door,' López said. '[I was asking] 'What are you doing? Why are you guys treating us like this? We didn't do anything wrong.'' According to a statement from a Department of Homeland Security representative, López was arrested because she was obstructing agents from accessing a car containing 'two Guatemalan illegal aliens' inside. 'During this incident, agents were assaulted, and an additional subject was taken into custody for pushing an officer,' the statement read. The then-soon-to-be-mother was taken to a processing facility in San Pedro, where, according to her, the agents automatically assumed she was undocumented. '[They said] 'But you're from Mexico, right?' And I'm like 'No, I'm from here,'' López said. '[They asked] … 'Where's here?' and I'm like, 'Here, the U.S., Los Angeles.' 'They put us in chains, so I had a chain from my hands under my belly that went all the way to my legs,' she added. 'Every now and then, I would fix my hands because I felt like I would be putting too much pressure because the chain went under my belly.' López was released after complaining of stomach pain and went straight to a hospital where she started having contractions, which she believes were caused by the stress of what she had gone through. L.A. artist who sang national anthem in Spanish at Dodgers game speaks out Four days after the incident, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but the stress isn't over yet, as the baby's father, Nájera, is said to be detained at a facility in Texas despite López saying he has a spotless record. 'He doesn't have any criminal record or anything,' she said. 'They took him while he was working, and that hurts because he didn't do anything wrong. He was just working and taking care of his family. Why are you treating other people this way when they aren't criminals?' 'The color doesn't matter, the race doesn't matter … at the end of the day, we are all human,' she continued through tears. Newsom: President Trump's 'illegal militarization' of L.A. has negative impact on firefighting López's legal team told KTLA that she has not been charged with any crime. In the meantime, she will remain at home with her new baby girl. A GoFundMe has been set up to help López hire an immigration attorney for her boyfriend and to alleviate costs associated with childcare in his absence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19-06-2025
- The Hill
Pregnant US citizen detained by Border Patrol agents: ‘We didn't do anything wrong'
(KTLA) – A pregnant U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents approximately two weeks ago has since given birth to a healthy baby girl, but her boyfriend is now being held out of state and her problems are far from over. Cary López Alvarado told Nexstar's KTLA that she 'tried to remain strong' during the scary ordeal, which took place outside a building where her boyfriend and cousin were doing maintenance work on June 8. She was nine months pregnant at the time. Video taken by López depicts her struggling with a masked agent wearing a Border Patrol uniform asking to see her identification as she was protecting a truck carrying her boyfriend Brayan Nájera and cousin Alberto Sandoval — the latter of whom is also a U.S. citizen. All three of them were eventually detained. Further footage posted on social media shows agents detaining López after they had pinned her truck between a wall. 'They had my boyfriend on the ground already, and they had tackled my cousin down … that's when I was inside the car just banging on the door,' López said. '[I was asking] 'What are you doing? Why are you guys treating us like this? We didn't do anything wrong.'' According to a statement from a Department of Homeland Security representative, López was arrested because she was obstructing agents from accessing a car containing 'two Guatemalan illegal aliens' inside. 'During this incident, agents were assaulted, and an additional subject was taken into custody for pushing an officer,' the statement read. The then-soon-to-be-mother was taken to a processing facility in San Pedro, where, according to her, the agents automatically assumed she was undocumented. '[They said] 'But you're from Mexico, right?' And I'm like 'No, I'm from here,'' López said. '[They asked] … 'Where's here?' and I'm like, 'Here, the U.S., Los Angeles.' 'They put us in chains, so I had a chain from my hands under my belly that went all the way to my legs,' she added. 'Every now and then, I would fix my hands because I felt like I would be putting too much pressure because the chain went under my belly.' López was released after complaining of stomach pain and went straight to a hospital where she started having contractions, which she believes were caused by the stress of what she had gone through. Four days after the incident, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but the stress isn't over yet, as the baby's father, Nájera, is said to be detained at a facility in Texas despite López saying he has a spotless record. 'He doesn't have any criminal record or anything,' she said. 'They took him while he was working, and that hurts because he didn't do anything wrong. He was just working and taking care of his family. Why are you treating other people this way when they aren't criminals?' 'The color doesn't matter, the race doesn't matter … at the end of the day, we are all human,' she continued through tears. López's legal team told KTLA that she has not been charged with any crime. In the meantime, she will remain at home with her new baby girl. A GoFundMe has been set up to help López hire an immigration attorney for her boyfriend and to alleviate costs associated with childcare in his absence.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A pregnant U.S. citizen went to the hospital after immigration agents detained her
A 28-year-old pregnant woman set to give birth as early as next week is speaking out about being detained by immigration authorities in California, even after telling agents she was a U.S. citizen. Cary López Alvarado lost her balance as agents "shoved her" during her arrest over the weekend, she tearfully told NBC Los Angeles on Monday from a hospital bed. 'That's when I kind of leaned forward, trying to protect the stomach.' López Alvarado told Telemundo 52, NBC's sister station in Los Angeles, "I was afraid that they were going to hurt me." After being released Sunday, López Alvarado said she started experiencing sharp pains in her stomach and was hospitalized. With just one week left before her due date, her doctors said they are monitoring López Alvarado as well as her baby, NBC Los Angeles reported. Masked men wearing Border Patrol uniforms pulled up to a building's private parking in the city of Hawthorne in marked U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles on Sunday, after following a white pickup truck with two undocumented workers, one of which is López Alvarado's partner. López Alvarado and her cousin Alberto Sandoval, who is also a U.S. citizen, opened the parking's gate so her partner and co-worker could come in. López Alvarado and Sandoval as well as her partner and the other co-worker were in the building doing maintenance work. López Alvarado said she and her cousin believed agents would need to show they had a warrant to be able to enter their workplace. 'They had us all surrounded,' López Alvarado told NBC Los Angeles on Monday. López Alvarado captured her interactions with immigration enforcement agents on video. In one video, she can be heard telling the agents, "I'm gonna need you guys to leave. This is private property." As the agents "were trying to forcefully open" the gates, López Alvarado said she "was blocking the door" and "I told them they were in private property.' In another video, one of the agents responds, "Excuse me ma'am. You are interfering with my arrest. I'm doing my job... Can you please move away?" "I'm not moving away," López Alvarado told the agent. López Alvarado said agents told her the parking wasn't private property and arrested her alongside her partner, her cousin and her co-worker. The arrests took place on the same weekend in which immigration authorities conducted a series of raids in Southern California, arresting dozens of people and triggering five consecutive days of protests in Los Angeles. Witnesses filmed the moment immigration authorities handcuffed López Alvarado. They can be heard shouting at the agents to "let her go" and "she's pregnant." López Alvarado said agents told her she was taken into custody for trying to obstruct their operation. 'I wasn't resisting or anything,' she said. 'I can't fight back; I'm pregnant.' During the arrest, López Alvarado said she told agents she was due on June 17. The agents responded, ''OK, your baby is going to be born here, but you're from Mexico, right?' And I told them no,' she said. "I was born here," López Alvarado told Telemundo 52 in Spanish. "I was born in Los Angeles, I was born in Hollywood Hospital.' López Alvarado was released shortly after the arrest and taken to her home. She was told that agents would contact her at a later time about the obstruction allegations. She said no one gave her any documents or citations in connection with the arrest. Her cousin, Sandoval, was not released because he faces assault charges, his mother María Alvarado, told Telemundo 52. "My son didn't attack. He was attacked. There are videos. There's evidence," the mother said in Spanish. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to requests for comment. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged NBC News' request but did not provide any comment. This article was originally published on
