STATEMENT: Nursing Mother of Two Arrested Without Warrant by ICE, Held 700 Miles From Her Children in Violation of the Agency's Own Policy
TIRRC Press
media@tnimmigrant.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 29, 2026
Media Contact: media@sanctuaryofthesouth.com
Nursing Mother of Two Arrested Without Warrant by ICE, Held 700 Miles From Her Children in Violation of the Agency's Own Policy
Maria Perez was breastfeeding when ICE agents detained her in Nashville, separating her from her infant and two-year-old with Down syndrome.
NASHVILLE, TN — Ms. Maria Perez* was arrested without a warrant by ICE while taking both of her children to the doctor. Ms. Perez is mother to a ten-month-old, whom she is breastfeeding, and a two-year-old with Down syndrome. Her arrest violates ICE’s own Directive 11032.4, which states that the agency should not “detain, arrest, or continue to detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum or nursing” except under exceptional circumstances.
Ms. Perez is now at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, nearly seven hundred miles away from her infant daughter and special needs toddler, who requires intensive, ongoing medical treatment and therapy for multiple health complications. With their mother forcibly removed, the children have missed their critical medical appointments and are now in the care of a neighbor, as Ms Perez has no other support network in the area. She is currently suffering the physical effects of suddenly being unable to nurse, made worse by diabetes which she had been actively managing before she was detained.
Ms. Perez is seeking asylum from Guatemala as a survivor of severe domestic violence. She has no criminal history and has complied with every requirement in the immigration process since entering the United States in 2022.
Sanctuary of the South (SOS) and Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Ms. Perez’s legal counsel, have partnered with the ACLU of Louisiana, the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, and Amnesty International to submit a formal complaint to the Department of Homeland Security, urging the immediate release of Ms. Perez, and reiterating a commitment to pursuing all legal avenues to reunite her with her children, and seek relief for the profound harm the family has suffered as a result of their separation.
"SOS denounces the cruelty and complete lack of humanity in ICE’s decision to separate mother from children, especially nursing mothers from babies at such a tender age,” said Katie Blankenship, founder and managing attorney at SOS. “Being held in detention threatens Maria’s right to due process and is an unnecessary act of violence towards an immigrant mother and survivor of domestic violence. Families across the country share similar traumatic stories. We condemn family separation by ICE and demand Ms. Perez’s immediate release, so she may return to her children who so desperately need her."
Spring Miller, Senior Director of Legal Strategy at TIRRC, added: “ICE and DHS continue to show blatant disregard not just for their own policies but for basic humanity. Ripping a nursing mother from her vulnerable children and shipping her to another state is almost unimaginable, yet ICE has turned a blind eye to their own directives and has done just that to Maria. Her case demonstrates the extraordinary cruelty these agencies inflict on people every day, and the multiple points at which people in detention are denied access to due process. We demand the immediate release of Ms. Perez to her children and condemn the countless ways ICE and DHS continue to separate families across the country.”
Ms Perez’s case has drawn condemnation from major human rights and civil liberties organizations across the country, who have joined SOS and TIRRC in demanding her immediate release.
“The government's continued torture of women is patently outrageous," said Nora Ahmed, legal director for the ACLU of Louisiana. "Every person who claims to care about family values in this nation should be up in arms over these atrocious abuses. Why would ICE violate its own rules just to target a nursing mother who has followed all the legal steps of the immigration system? ICE has destroyed a family in the process and is directly responsible for putting children's lives at risk. Everyone, regardless of political beliefs, should be outraged on behalf of Ms. Perez."
"ICE snatched Maria from her nursing baby and shipped her to a detention center hundreds of miles from home,” said Anthony Enriquez, VP of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. “This cruel and degrading treatment of new mothers and pregnant women has been repeated hundreds of times over the last two years. We call on ICE to immediately release Maria.”
"To have your children taken from you is a parent's worst nightmare. That's what ICE agents did when they took Maria's children from her, traumatizing all of them. Maria is still nursing her two children, one of whom has special needs. What ICE is doing in communities throughout the U.S. is cruel, inhumane, pointless, and against the law. Maria, and all parents, should be able to care for their children and go about their daily lives without fear of being forcibly separated. This cruelty must end. ICE must release Maria and ensure she is back with her children, and stop wreaking havoc in our communities," said Amy Fischer, Director for Refugee and Migrant Rights, Amnesty International USA
* Pseudonym used to protect the client's safety
About Sanctuary of the South
Sanctuary of the South (SOS) works to defend the right to due process for everyone in the United States, providing critical, affordable legal defense to immigrant families affected by detention, deportation, and abuse. SOS offers direct representation in detention centers across the Southeast, brings federal litigation to hold the government accountable for constitutional violations, and provides robust safety planning for individuals, families, businesses, and communities. Learn more at sanctuaryofthesouth.com.
About Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition
Since its founding in 2003, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) has grown into a model for immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds, faiths, and ethnicities. It is nationally recognized for multiethnic, multigenerational coalition building, effective legislative advocacy, and award-winning communications initiatives. Learn more at www.tnimmigrant.org
About the ACLU of Louisiana
The ACLU of Louisiana leads the charge to protect the civil rights and liberties of Louisianians, especially those most marginalized and historically harmed. True to our founding during the Civil Rights Movement, we are fearless in the face of intimidation and fight tirelessly to protect and empower Louisiana’s Black, Brown, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities. We are part of a nationwide network of affiliates working in courts, legislatures, and communities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.laaclu.org
About the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center
The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that works across the courtroom, the boardroom, and the classroom to build a more just and peaceful world. Inspired by the legacies of Senator Robert and Ethel Kennedy, we work with international and domestic partners to protect fundamental human rights. We pursue strategic litigation to hold governments accountable at home and around the world; foster a social good approach to business; and train the next generation of changemakers through our human rights education programs. Learn more at kennedyhumanrights.org
About Amnesty International
Amnesty International is the world’s oldest and largest grassroots human rights organization. It is an international, intercultural, intergenerational, and intersectional movement of activists committed to protecting people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied – no matter who they are or where they are. Learn more at www.amnestyusa.org
About Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org
