Paola Clouatre, the 25-year-old wife of a U.S. Marine veteran and mother of two, is finally back home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after spending over two months in immigration detention. Her arrest during a green card appointment in May drew widespread attention, especially as she was still breastfeeding her 4-month-old daughter at the time.
Clouatre, originally from Mexico, was released on her own recognizance and reunited with her husband Adrian, 26, and their two children — nearly 2-year-old Noah and infant daughter Lyn — on July 28. Although she remains under an immigration monitoring program and must wear an ankle bracelet, she is no longer being held at the facility in Monroe, Louisiana.
“She just watched the kids for a moment from the car,” Adrian told PEOPLE. “Then she popped out, and everyone — the dogs, the kids — just lit up. It was heartwarming.”
Paola, who was brought to the U.S. at age 14 by her mother, has lived in the country for over a decade. According to her attorney, Carey Holliday, she was initially granted protection under the asylum system. But after missing an immigration hearing in 2018 — a hearing she says she didn’t know about — a deportation order was issued. That order came to light only recently when she and Adrian, who married in 2024, began the process to obtain her permanent residency.
On the day of her green card appointment, immigration officers allowed her to say a brief goodbye to her husband before detaining her. “We hugged, kissed, talked for two minutes — and then they took her,” Adrian recalled.
Homeland Security has defended the arrest, citing the 2018 removal order. “President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem are not going to ignore the rule of law,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a recent statement.
Paola described her time in detention as emotionally devastating, especially the moments after visits with her children. “I just started crying. It’s hard being locked up without your family,” she said.
In July, a judge granted a motion to reopen her immigration case, and her legal proceedings were transferred from California to Louisiana, where she and Adrian are raising their family.
For now, the Clouatres are focusing on healing. “I didn’t sleep much last night,” Paola said, “but it felt so good to cuddle with my kids again. It’s happiness. It’s love.”
