Mexican Family Detained by ICE While Visiting Their Baby in Intensive Care
Posted on12/16/25 at 15:41
- Mexican family detained by ICE
- Detention on the way to the hospital
- Urgent judicial intervention
A Mexican family experienced hours of anguish in Cicero, Illinois, after being detained by ICE agents while traveling to the hospital to see a newborn baby admitted to intensive care.
The operation took place on October 20 and ended with the detention of 22-year-old Nayra Guzmán, her mother Griselda, and her brother Carlos.
Nayra’s baby was hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, while the young mother was still recovering from a cesarean section.
The case sparked outrage due to the medical context, the length of the detention, and the conditions reported by the family.
A Mexican family detained by ICE
Carlos Guzmán said that several vehicles intercepted the family car as they were on their way to the hospital.
“One van pulls in and two others split off, they box you in, the white van stops in front and immigration agents get out,” he recounted.
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Nayra explained that she tried to warn officers about the medical urgency of her situation.
“But I need to go to the hospital… my baby is in the NICU… it’s only been 15 days since my cesarean section,” she said she told one agent.
Illness, cesarean section, and lack of care
According to Nayra, the officer’s response was immediate and blunt.
“Don’t tell me that—tell it to the judge when you’re in front of him,” he replied, according to her testimony.
In addition to her surgical wound, the young woman has type 1 diabetes, which requires insulin and constant monitoring.
Even so, she said her belongings were taken away during the detention, including her insulin.
36 hours in immigration custody
The Guzmán family, originally from Michoacán, spent 36 hours detained at ICE’s Broadview processing center.
During that time, they said they received only two meals.
“They gave us a sandwich, half ham and cheese, and a bottle of water. That’s it. Twice a day,” Nayra said.
For Griselda, the experience was deeply traumatic for the entire family.
Fear of losing the baby
While they were detained by ICE, their greatest concern was the newborn’s health.
Faced with the possibility of immediate deportation, the family granted temporary guardianship of the baby to the grandfather.
Griselda described the experience as a nightmare. “You cry because you feel the pain, the helplessness of knowing you’re not doing anything wrong,” she said.
Uncertainty marked every hour they were away from the hospital.
Emergency judicial intervention
The family is currently seeking asylum in the United States.
Attorney Laura Smith of the Children’s Legal Center Chicago reported that a judge ordered an emergency hearing.
“The judge was clear: Nayra Guzmán had to be released immediately so she could care for her newborn baby,” she said.
Following the court order, Nayra was released.
Trauma, fear, and a new legal battle
Although she is no longer in custody, Nayra Guzmán says the emotional impact remains.
“Any car that pulls up next to you, you feel like it’s them… basically it’s like a kidnapping,” she said.
Griselda said they fled violence in Mexico, but after what happened, she has lost her sense of safety.
“I don’t feel that peace. I feel the same as when we were in Mexico—being hunted,” she stated.
The family is now preparing for a legal battle against the Department of Homeland Security, while Nayra’s baby remains stable but hospitalized in the neonatal unit, according to Chicago Sun Times.
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