Latest news with #HeidySánchez
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tampa woman deported to Cuba pleads with president
A breastfeeding mother to a 1-year-old and wife of a U.S. citizen, Heidy Sánchez is pleading with President Donald Trump to help her go back to Tampa and reunite with her family.
Toronto Star
08-05-2025
- Toronto Star
Cuban mother deported from US pleads with Trump to reunite with her family
HAVANA (AP) — Ten times a day for the past two weeks, Heidy Sánchez has made the same two-block trek from her parents' home in Havana looking for an internet signal to video call her family and sing her daughter to sleep. And every single time she has ended up crying. Cuban-born Sánchez, 44, was detained in Florida in April during a routine check-in appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, office. Two days later, she was deported to Cuba.
Washington Post
08-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Cuban mother deported from US pleads with Trump to reunite with her family
HAVANA — Ten times a day for the past two weeks, Heidy Sánchez has made the same two-block trek from her parents' home in Havana looking for an internet signal to video call her family and sing her daughter to sleep. And every single time she has ended up crying.
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Cuban mother deported from US pleads with Trump to reunite with her family
By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ and MILEXSY DURÁN Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] HAVANA (AP) — Ten times a day for the past two weeks, Heidy Sánchez has made the same two-block trek from her parents' home in Havana looking for an internet signal to video call her family and sing her daughter to sleep. And every single time she has ended up crying. Cuban-born Sánchez, 44, was detained in Florida in April during a routine check-in appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, office. Two days later, she was deported to Cuba. A breastfeeding mother to a 1-year-old and wife of a U.S. citizen, Sánchez is pleading with U.S. President Donald Trump to help her go back and reunite with her family. 'To president (Trump) who has a family, he says he believes in God, and I believe in God too...I would like him to put his hand on his heart and please help us reunite our family,' she told The Associated Press. 'My baby is little, she needs me.' Sánchez' story has raised questions among lawyers and activists about the Trump's administration crackdown against illegal immigration , including who is being deported, the legal basis for people's removal and if the expulsions have followed the proper procedures. ICE didn't respond immediately to request for comment. The Trump administration has made it a top priority to deport about 1.4 million people who have been ordered by a judge to leave the country, arguing that they have exhausted all avenues to a legal challenge regardless of individual circumstances. Sánchez broke out in tears several times while looking at family photos of her baby and husband. 'I am physically and mentally destroyed,' she said. 'My world has collapsed and my life is over.' Sánchez arrived at the southern border of the United States in 2019, among hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants. She appeared before a judge once without problems but was late for her second appointment. By the time Sánchez finally appeared before the judge, he had signed a deportation order for non-compliance. Despite this, she was allowed to stay, although she spent nine months in an immigration detention center. After her release, Sánchez got her life back on track. She went to school and started working as a nursing assistant. In 2021, she married Carlos Yuniel Valle, an American citizen and entrepreneur from Tampa, and after two rounds of in vitro fertilization, their daughter Kailyn was born in November 2023. 'We were very happy,' she said. Meanwhile, in Florida, Sánchez's 40-year-old husband is grappling with the sudden reality of being a single parent. He recounted a moment when Kailyn didn't want to sleep and her mom, on a video call, suggested she sing her a song to help put her to bed. 'When she started to sing, the girl began reaching out to touch the screen to caress her mother's face,' he said. 'She began to kiss the screen...I started crying and so did her mother.' Valle is also concerned about his future, missing work to care for their child and fearing he'll be unable to keep up with his house and car payments. The family and their lawyers are launching a campaign to collect signatures in support of a humanitarian visa for Sánchez, and Tampa Rep. Kathy Castor has requested her parole from the Trump administration. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Business Mayor
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Mayor
Woman in Florida deported to Cuba says she was forced to leave baby daughter
A mother deported to Cuba reportedly had to hand over her 17-month-old daughter to a lawyer while her husband, a US citizen, stood outside unable to say goodbye. Heidy Sánchez was told she was being detained for deportation to Cuba when she turned up at her scheduled Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) check-in appointment in Tampa, Florida, last week. She was told her child, who has health problems and is still breastfeeding, had to stay in the US but could visit her in Cuba, NBC reported. The Trump administration is embroiled in controversy for removing children who are US citizens from the United States with a parent when the adult is deported. In this case, the child was reportedly not allowed to leave with her mother even though it was what both parents said they wanted. The administration's anti-immigration crackdown has put many people in a difficult position because they risk being summarily detained and deported when turning up for routine Ice check-ins. Many people have followed this process without issue for years, and do not have a criminal record – but failing to turn up can bring an order for forcible removal from the US. 'They never gave me the option to take my daughter,' Sánchez told NBC. Sánchez's husband, Carlos Valle, is a US citizen. Both parents separately told NBC that their daughter is now crying all the time and calling for her mother, while Sánchez struggles to get wifi service in Cuba to sing her daughter to sleep. Valle was not allowed into the room where Sánchez was being interviewed by Ice agents with their daughter, attorneys told NBC. When told she was being deported, she was denied the chance to see her husband or hand over their daughter to him, with a lawyer having to fulfil that role instead. Read More US government has revoked more than 600 student visas, data shows Claudia Cañizares, a Miami-based attorney for the family, said she tried to prevent the deportation but was given 'the runaround' by the authorities. The Florida Democratic congresswoman Kathy Castor has said she is lobbying the administration on the family's behalf. Ice did not respond to a request for comment from NBC. The Guardian has submitted a request for comment.
