Nursing mother separated from breastfeeding infant at ICE appointment, deported to Cuba
Mar 23, 2026·Location: Florida, FL
Country of origin: Cuba

Heidy Sánchez, a 44-year-old Cuban immigrant and home health aide who arrived in the U.S. in 2019, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2025, during what she believed was a routine annual check-in appointment at the Tampa office while nursing her one-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen born prematurely with seizures. She was handcuffed and separated from her daughter as her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, a U.S. citizen who owns a landscaping company, heard her screaming. Two days later, on April 24, Sánchez was deported to Cuba on a flight with 81 other Cuban migrants. Sánchez had no criminal record, worked as a home health aide, held a social security card and driver's license, paid taxes, and was complying with ICE requirements under her I-220B supervision order. Her daughter, distressed by the separation, refused to eat. From Cuba, Sánchez has recorded tearful video pleas to President Trump and walks up to ten times daily searching for internet to video call her daughter. U.S. Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Kathy Castor have called for her reunification, with Castor filing a humanitarian parole request with the Trump administration. DHS disputed Sánchez's account, claiming she was offered the choice to take her child or place the child with a designated relative. Sánchez arrived in Cuba without passport, identification, or documentation explaining her deportation.
Timeline
Sources
- Mother of 1-year-old girl among dozens of Cubans deported from Florida last month
NPR·May 13, 2025·archived copy
- Deported from Florida to Cuba, this mom saw her 17-month-old US daughter – and her American dream – ripped away
CNN·May 5, 2025·archived copy
- Verifying Device
- Nursing mother deported to Cuba, separated from infant daughter
scrippsnews.com·May 7, 2025·archived copy
KSHB·May 7, 2025·archived copy
- Deported Cuban mother separated from breastfeeding 1-year-old daughter
ctvnews.ca·Apr 29, 2025·archived copy
- They Separated Heidy Sánchez from Her Baby, Then Put Her on a Plane to Cuba
bellyofthebeastcuba.com·archived copy
cubainformacion.tv·May 8, 2025·archived copy
- Heidy Sánchez was breastfeeding her infant when immigration agents took her baby from her arms, according to reporting from The Times. She was handcuffed, taken into custody, and deported to Cuba… | Center for Reproductive Rights | 18 comments
linkedin.com·Mar 21, 2026·archived copy
- Castro alleges poor conditions, pregnant women held at ICE detention center in Dilley
news4sanantonio.com·Feb 20, 2026·archived copy
- The Straits Times - Breaking news, Singapore news, Asia and world news & multimedia
- Heartbreaking image of a Cuban mother deported and separated from her breastfeeding daughter moves social media
en.cibercuba.com·May 4, 2025·archived copy
- Cuban Mother Deported Sends Plea to Trump: "My Baby Needs Me"
cubaheadlines.com·May 8, 2025·archived copy
- Miami Herald
- Deported Cuban mother separated from breastfeeding baby
ca.news.yahoo.com·Apr 29, 2025·archived copy
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