“My Little Girl Says, Mama, Come”, Says Deported Cuban
The US Department of Homeland Security’s version is far different from what Heidy Sanchez and her lawyer say.
HAVANA TIMES – The story of Heidy Sanchez—the Cuban mother recently deported from Florida to Havana without her 17-month-old daughter—has sparked a wave of criticism and outrage in legal circles and among immigrant rights advocates. Now, in an interview with EFE, the 44-year-old Cuban woman recounts the details of her deportation.
Sánchez says she was taken handcuffed to a cell, where she told an officer, “What need do you have to handcuff me? You’re already taking my life, you’re already killing me, you’re separating me from what I love most in the world.” The girl, a U.S. citizen—like her father—was left in his care while her mother was transferred to various detention centers and finally sent back to Cuba, without being allowed to take the child with her or to say goodbye to her.
Her lawyer, Claudia Cañizares, denounced that the procedure was riddled with irregularities: “Sanchez has no criminal record and was treated as if she were a dangerous criminal.” According to her allegations, the mother was never given the legal option of being deported along with her daughter, as stipulated in immigration protocols for family situations.
The case has also prompted a response from the Department of Homeland Security. Its spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, denied any wrongdoing and maintained that it was Sanchez herself who requested to return to Cuba “without her daughter,” leaving her in the care “of a relative.” McLaughlin added: “We take seriously the responsibility to protect children and will continue to work with authorities to ensure that minors are safe and protected.”
But the official version is far from what Sanchez remembers. She arrived in the US in 2019, crossing through Laredo, Texas, and was admitted under supervision, with the obligation to report periodically to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) offices. Initially, she was required to do so once a year, but with the change of administration, the appointments became monthly.
“I was complying with everything. But in April, I decided to move up the appointment because I felt something wasn’t right.” When she arrived at the ICE office, they told her: “No matter what you do, the decision has already been made. You’re leaving.” Sanchez recounts that the ICE agent in Tampa simply told her to call her husband to pick up the girl. “I had no choice. They didn’t tell me anything, just that the decision had already been made,” she said.
Amidst the confusion and fear, she barely managed to make a brief call to the child’s father. “Did they give you the girl?” was the first question he asked when he answered, concerned about the fate of the little girl, who also suffers from epileptic seizures.
She then spent 48 hours being transferred from one detention center to another, without access to her daughter or adequate legal counsel, until she boarded the plane that returned her to Cuba. “They let me change clothes only to put on the gray uniform from the center. I’m not a criminal, but that’s how they treated me.”
During those dark days, Sanchez found a moment of solace with two other mothers—one Cuban and one Honduran—who were also facing deportation. “We hugged each other like sisters. Neither of us understood why they were separating us from our children. All we did was seek a better life for them,” she recalled, her voice breaking.
From Cuba, the woman tries to communicate daily with her family in Tampa, although poor connectivity and power outages complicate the phone calls. “Every time I manage to talk, my little girl stares at me through the screen and says, ‘Mama, come.’ That devastates me.”
Sanchez’s case has rekindled the debate over immigration policies in the United States, especially those affecting mixed families, with migrant parents and citizen children. “It’s not a matter of politics. I know they’re doing their job. But what about feelings? My daughter needs me, and I need her too. That’s what they don’t want to see or understand,” she said.
Attorney Claudia Cañizares, along with Sanchez’s family, has launched a campaign to gather signatures, attract public attention, and explore all possible legal avenues to achieve family reunification. “This case demonstrates that rhetoric about security can no longer serve as a justification for inhumane practices. It’s not an isolated case, but it is a tragedy,” the attorney concluded.
Translated by Translating Cuba.