Mom Claims She Couldn’t Bring Her 17-Month-Old Daughter, a U.S. Citizen, When She Was Deported to Cuba

Heidy Sánchez’s husband, Carlos Valle, and their daughter, Kailyn, are both U.S. citizens and remain in Tampa, Fla.

Heidy Sánchez, a Cuban national living in Florida, says she was deported in April without being allowed to bring her 17-month-old daughter — a U.S. citizen — back to Cuba with her.

Sánchez, 44, had gone to a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Tampa when she was unexpectedly taken into custody, her attorney says. Days later, she was deported — separated from her husband, Carlos Valle, also a U.S. citizen, and their baby daughter, Kailyn, who was still breastfeeding and had recently begun suffering seizures.

“I want to take my daughter,” Sánchez reportedly told agents. But ICE allegedly refused, saying, “Your daughter is a U.S. citizen. She has to stay.” Her lawyer, Claudia Cañizares, says another attorney at the meeting was told to take the baby outside to her father.

The case has drawn renewed attention amid President Donald Trump’s escalated immigration enforcement efforts, which critics say are increasingly sweeping up individuals with no criminal background.

Sánchez has no criminal convictions. She originally came to the U.S. seeking asylum in 2019 during Trump’s first term. Like many others, she was forced to wait in Mexico for her immigration hearing. After missing a follow-up appearance, she was ordered deported — a decision she says she didn’t fully understand at the time.

She was detained for nine months before being released under ICE supervision in Florida, where she later met and married Carlos. The couple welcomed Kailyn in late 2023 after undergoing IVF. Sánchez was working as a home health aide and pursuing certification as a nursing assistant when she was detained again this spring.

Despite her history of compliance and the fact that her deportation separates her from her family, ICE has not reversed its decision. Her attorney says they are seeking either humanitarian parole or an immigrant visa to bring her back.

“She’s not a threat. She’s a mother, a wife, a caregiver,” Cañizares says.

Sánchez speaks with her family daily from Cuba, when internet access allows — though the island’s frequent blackouts often disrupt those calls.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa has asked President Trump to allow Sánchez to return, writing that she should not be “trafficked to a country where she will be harmed and suffer” due to oppressive conditions in Cuba.

For now, her husband and toddler wait in Tampa — hopeful for a reunion.