Elizabeth Caisaguano, a 10-year-old student from Minnesota, was released Tuesday night from an ICE family detention center in Texas along with her mother, Rosa, after spending nearly a month in federal custody.
Detained on the Way to School
Elizabeth and her mother were taken into custody on Jan. 6 while traveling to school in Columbia Heights during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation under the Trump administration. The family, who fled Ecuador, has an active asylum application, according to school officials.
Elizabeth was transferred to the family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, where hundreds of minors are held. Attorneys later raised concerns about a measles outbreak at the facility, which complicated efforts to secure the family’s release.
Community Shock and Scramble for Answers
Elizabeth became the first of five students from the Columbia Heights school district detained by ICE. School staff said they initially believed Elizabeth would be dropped off at school after she was allowed to call her father.
Instead, she was quietly flown to Texas later that day.
Tracy Xiong, a social worker at Highland Elementary School, said staff spent hours trying to locate Elizabeth after she failed to arrive. By afternoon, they learned she had been transported out of state — a move immigration attorneys say can limit detainees’ access to legal representation.
Echoes of Other Child Detentions
Elizabeth’s case drew comparisons to that of Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old from the same community who was released from the same Texas facility over the weekend following widespread public pressure.
A Student Remembered at School
Elizabeth is a fourth-grade student described by school leaders as soft-spoken but resilient. She enjoys volleyball, dreams of becoming a doctor, and rides the school bus each morning. Her principal said she is often seen laughing with friends and thriving in the classroom.
“I’m extremely happy and relieved,” said school administrator Carolina Gutierrez. “But we have to continue advocating and speaking up for other people to come home.”
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