'Outraged and Deeply Concerned': ICE Detains 19-Year-Old Valedictorian and Her 48-Year-Old Mother

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained 19-year-old University of Maryland student Maria Flores Garcia and her 48-year-old mother Mirna during an immigration check-in in Baltimore, Maryland.

The undergraduate public health scholar, who graduated as the class valedictorian of Parkdale High School in Prince George's County earlier this year, was taken into custody on 5 November 2026 after accompanying her mother to a routine federal immigration review.

According to accounts provided by her partner Cesar Saavedra, officers detained the mother before presenting the teenager with an ultimatum to depart or remain, prompting the young woman to stay by her mother's side before both were transferred through Virginia to a detention facility in Louisiana.

While the Department of Homeland Security maintains that the young woman remains subject to an unfulfilled February 2021 removal order, legal representatives state that both individuals secured formal protection against deportation under the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

The enforcement action has triggered fierce political condemnation from Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen and county leaders, sparking nationwide outrage across academic institutions.

ICE Cites Removal Order Amid Calls for Release

Prince George's County Executive Aisha Braveboy said she was 'outraged and deeply concerned' about Maria's detention. She described Mirna as a 'law-abiding county resident' who had attended a required immigration appointment.

'We are calling for Maria's immediate release and safe return home,' Braveboy said, pledging support for the family.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen also challenged the enforcement decision. In a statement on 10 November, he said Maria's detention undermined ICE's claim that its operations focused on the 'worst of the worst'. He said he was seeking answers and working towards her release.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), addressing Maria's immigration status, said she entered the United States without inspection. She was apprehended in Texas in 2016 before being placed in removal proceedings, according to the agency.

DHS said an immigration judge issued a final removal order on 23 February 2021. The agency said Maria would remain in custody pending removal from the United States.

However, Saavedra told The Washington Post that Maria and her mother received protection against removal to El Salvador under the Convention Against Torture in 2021. The underlying ruling has not been independently reviewed, and DHS has not confirmed the reported protection.

Under US immigration rules, such protection may coexist with a removal order without necessarily preventing deportation to another country. Whether the reported protection affects either woman's case remains unclear.

ICE Detention Disrupts Valedictorian's University Plans

The detention interrupted an academic journey Maria had described publicly just months earlier. As Parkdale High School's 2026 valedictorian, she recalled arriving in the United States from El Salvador at nine and struggling to understand English.

'I was the new girl who struggled to understand words and had to wait for someone to translate even the simplest instructions,' she told graduating classmates.

She subsequently received a scholarship covering tuition at the University of Maryland, where she studies public health. Saavedra said she hopes to become a doctor.

The university confirmed that one of its students had been detained off campus. It expressed support for her family and said it was working to connect loved ones with available assistance.

Saavedra has organised a fundraiser for legal fees and other expenses.

'My girlfriend has worked incredibly hard for her future, and right now, she and her mother need our support more than ever,' he wrote.

As of 11 November, the women were reported to remain in immigration detention in Louisiana. Details of Mirna's immigration proceedings and any further legal challenges remain unconfirmed.

The reported protection against removal to El Salvador remains a central question as supporters seek the women's release.

The unresolved questions surrounding their reported Convention Against Torture protections remain the focal point of the family's defence.