Detained Mother Demands Immediate Release | Baton Rouge News

A breastfeeding mother seeking asylum in the U.S. is being held in ICE detention over 700 miles from her children, sparking outrage from human rights groups who say she’s being illegally detained despite clear policies against holding nursing parents. The mother, who entered the country from Guatemala in 2022 and passed a credible fear interview, was arrested while preparing to take her two young daughters — one an infant, the other a medically fragile toddler with Down Syndrome — to a doctor’s appointment. Advocates argue her separation is causing irreversible harm to all three, as she’s now experiencing physical effects from abruptly stopping breastfeeding, compounded by diabetes, while her child misses critical therapies. ICE claims she left her children with an adult and has prior charges for falsely claiming citizenship — but critics say these are baseless and ignore ICE’s own policy that only allows detention of nursing mothers under “exceptional circumstances.” With no criminal record and a pending asylum case, advocates are demanding immediate release, warning every day without action increases the risk of lasting damage. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/56ead7281a5e88f2