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Ecuadorian mother and son in ICE detention face emotional distress, lawmaker seeks release

May 28, 2026·Location: Tempe, AZ

Country of origin: Ecuador

Ecuadorian mother and son in ICE detention face emotional distress, lawmaker seeks release
Photo via 12news.com

Margoth Paredes, 47, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, and her 14-year-old son Dilan were detained by ICE after being found in a vehicle suspected of involvement in immigrant smuggling. ICE took Paredes to Cecil Shamley School in Tempe to withdraw Dilan the day before his eighth-grade promotion ceremony, which he missed, and the pair were transported to the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., who visited the facility and spoke with Paredes by phone, said both have experienced emotional distress, with Dilan frequently crying, and said the Flores Settlement limits detention of migrant children to 20 days, calling for their release. Paredes' two older children also remain detained in Arizona, and the family's detention has sparked protests outside the school.

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