To: Mathew Albence, Acting Director of ICE

#FreeMariana and Reunite Her With Her Children

Mariana was wrongfully separated from her 5 and 7 year old children by DHS in April and is suffering an acute medical crisis. Despite an independent medical expert’s confirmation of her urgent need to get specialized care, ICE continues to deny her access to an OBGYN and refuses to reunite her with her children.

Why is this important?

Imagine having your 5 and 7 year old children ripped out of your arms. That’s exactly what happened to Mariana this April.

Mariana was wrongfully and unjustly separated from her 5 and 7 year old children by DHS in April.

The emotional trauma is overwhelming. Mariana lost consciousness in custody a few weeks ago.

When she was taken to the emergency room she was told she needed to see a gynecologist for specialized care, but this has not happened. The doctor at the ICE facility told her she is at risk of having a hysterectomy if she doesn’t receive appropriate care, and an independent medical expert who reviewed her records confirmed this grave concern that her continued detention could impact her future fertility.

DHS has attempted to justify the separation on the basis of allegations that Mariana was a member of a resistance group in Angola known as FLEC, but her attorneys at the National Immigrant Justice Center have found that these allegations are completely false and unfounded. DHS has not produced any evidence of such ties, despite having had the opportunity to do so at Mariana’s immigration court hearing.

Transfer to another facility is NOT an acceptable outcome – Mariana has been through too much, and she needs to be in the care of her family and with her children. Mariana and her children have a lawfully present sponsor, a green card holding cousin in Texas. There is no reason not to release Mariana immediately.

We demand that ICE immediately release Mariana, reunite her with her children and stop the cruel trauma that is unnecessarily being inflicted on her family each and every passing day she continues to be detained.