Paola Clouatre, the wife of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has been released from an ICE detention facility in Louisiana following intervention by Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana and strong supporter of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
Clouatre, a Mexican national and mother of two, had been in federal custody since late May—despite still breastfeeding her infant daughter—after ICE detained her during a green card application appointment. Her detention came amid President Trump’s directive to increase daily immigration arrests to 3,000, drawing criticism from immigrant advocates over detentions involving non-criminals.
Internal emails obtained by the Associated Press show that after a judge paused her deportation order on July 23, Kennedy’s office submitted a request to the Department of Homeland Security for her release. By Monday, Clouatre had returned home to Baton Rouge to reunite with her husband, Adrian Clouatre, and their children, Lyn and Noah.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Carey Holliday, the family’s attorney, who credited Kennedy’s office for playing an “instrumental” role in navigating federal channels. Kennedy’s staff did not provide additional comment, though a constituent services representative, Christy Tate, congratulated the family in an email and expressed gratitude for Adrian’s military service: “God is truly great!”
Clouatre had originally entered the U.S. as a minor over a decade ago while seeking asylum with her mother. A deportation order was issued against her in 2018 after her mother failed to attend a court hearing. At the time, Paola was estranged from her mother and experiencing homelessness.
While the Department of Homeland Security previously said she was in the country illegally, the family’s attorney says her case is far more complex—and that detaining mothers in her situation demonstrates how blunt immigration enforcement can be.
“I wish they would actually look at the circumstances,” Adrian Clouatre told AP. “It shouldn’t just be a blanket policy—‘Oh, they’re illegal, throw them in ICE detention.’”
Senator Kennedy has been a vocal backer of President Trump’s hardline immigration approach but has also acted on a few high-profile cases where constituents faced hardship. Earlier this year, he worked with DHS to help free an Iranian immigrant mother who had lived in New Orleans for decades.
While Clouatre now wears an ankle monitor and still faces a lengthy immigration court process, her release allows her to resume life with her children. “I feel like a mother again,” she said. “I was feeling like I failed my kids.”
Her husband says they’re planning to finally enjoy the simple day they missed when she was arrested: a trip to get beignets in New Orleans. “We’re going to make that day up,” he said.
