Tucson, United States, (EFE).- Community pressure in Tucson, Arizona, has halted the expedited deportation of a Guatemalan migrant and her newborn baby, in what advocates are calling a rare but powerful victory against the increasingly hardline immigration policies of United States President Donald Trump.
The migrant, identified only as Erika, gave birth in a Tucson hospital days after crossing the harsh Arizona desert.
She had been detained by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shortly after entering the country irregularly and was under threat of immediate removal without due process.
Erika and her baby were released over the weekend following mounting protests outside the hospital and a wave of online .
“It is an abomination that the Trump istration would attempt to deport a woman with a newborn. It’s a crime against humanity,” Lenzy Hernández, a local activist who ed the demonstrations, told EFE.
The case gained attention after immigration attorney Luis Campos went public with concerns that Erika could be deported before she had the opportunity to apply for asylum.
“Her family ed me from Guatemala, and I immediately tried to reach her,” Campos explained. “But CBP agents were stationed outside her hospital room. They refused to let me see her or even speak with her by phone.”
Campos described the situation as a “kidnapping” and mobilized the community to protest what he feared was an unlawful deportation.
Dozens gathered outside the medical facility, and thousands more expressed solidarity online.
Erika had crossed the US-Mexico border last week, walking for days through the desert before being detained and sent to a holding center.
On Wednesday, she went into labor and was rushed to a hospital, where she delivered a healthy baby girl that same night.
“She fled Guatemala under threat of death, hoping to seek asylum in the US,” said Campos, who emphasized that Erika has no criminal record and no prior deportations, making her eligible to request asylum.
Erika was ultimately released with her newborn and given a court date to present her case before an immigration judge.
However, similar cases have ended differently.
In late April, two Honduran women, Jenny López-Villela and Reachel Morales-Valle, were deported along with their US-born children.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told EFE that both women “chose to be deported with their children,” after exhausting all legal avenues.
Erika’s release is seen as a glimmer of hope by immigrant rights advocates.
“This is a reminder of the power of collection action,” said Hernándex. Yet many remain concerned about the broader implications of Trump’s immigration agenda.
Later this month, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging the president’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants, a constitutional right established by the 14th Amendment.
Advocates warn that even US-born children are not guaranteed protection under the current istration’s evolving policies.
“We won this round,” said Campos. “But the bigger fight is far from over.” EFE
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