For the first time, the Avila family spent Mother’s Day without Margarita, a Houston mother of nine. Detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since March, she faced a devastating choice: fight deportation from a detention cell or sign papers to be returned to Belize, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune.
Her children struggled with her absence. Eleven-year-old Jeremiah crumpled the card he had written: “Mother, I love you, and thank you for having me.” Their father, José, wept as the family prayed.
Building a Life in Texas
Margarita came to the U.S. more than 20 years ago after her family faced threats in Belize. She and José built a landscaping business, bought a home in Independence Heights, and raised five American-born children. Despite her pending asylum case, she was detained after a postal worker accused her of hitting her with a weed eater — charges later dropped.
Instead of being released, ICE transferred her to detention, part of President Trump’s intensified effort to deport 1 million immigrants annually. Government data shows most detainees, like Margarita, have no criminal record.
Life in Detention
Inside, Margarita endured poor food, inadequate medical care, and a Hepatitis B diagnosis. “There were two days when I couldn’t even get out of bed,” she said. Her lawyer argued that under previous administrations, her case likely would have led to release.
Meanwhile, the Avila children — a mixed-status family of U.S. citizens, DACA recipients, and asylum seekers — faced difficult choices. If Margarita was deported, some could never visit her without risking their own futures in the U.S.
A Family Torn Apart
Jeremiah’s letter to ICE pleaded: “All I wanted for my birthday this year was to have my mom back home.” But by June, Margarita, exhausted and ill, told her family she wanted to sign deportation papers. “It’s better if I sign so they can continue with a normal life,” she said.
Two weeks later, she was flown back to Belize in shackles. José stayed in Houston with their youngest sons but vowed he would not be separated from his wife forever.
Aftermath
Back in Houston, the family remains in limbo — torn between safety, survival, and staying together. Lisbet, the eldest daughter, now advocates for immigrant rights. Margarita, meanwhile, struggles to adjust to life in Belize without her children.
“It hurts me having to leave my children behind,” she said. “All the work my family has done for a peaceful life — gone in an instant.”
For more on the aftermath of Trump’s second anti-immigrant policies, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine.