ICE Detains University of Maryland Student on Full Scholarship With No Criminal Record: 'I Should Be in Class'

University of Maryland student Maria Flores Garcia, 19, has spoken about missing classes while detained alongside her mother at an ICE facility in Louisiana. In interviews reported on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, the former high school valedictorian described the disruption to her education.

The detention followed a scheduled immigration appointment in Baltimore on 5 November. Flores Garcia accompanied her mother, Mirna Aracely Garcia Cabrera, to the meeting, which ended with both women in federal custody.

'I keep thinking, 'Oh, I should be doing this in my math class, or going to my class,'' she told WUSA9.

Flores Garcia came to the United States from El Salvador aged nine. She graduated as Parkdale High School's valedictorian in May before entering university on a full-tuition scholarship.

ICE Detains University of Maryland Student During Immigration Check-In

Flores Garcia is studying public health and hopes to become an emergency-room doctor.

Her boyfriend, Cesar Saavedra, said officers asked whether she wanted to leave or remain with her mother during the appointment.

She chose to stay, and both women were detained before being transferred to Louisiana.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the pair entered the United States unlawfully in 2016 and were apprehended in Texas's Rio Grande Valley.

According to DHS, an immigration judge issued a final removal order on 23 February 2021.

'She will remain in ICE custody pending her removal from the United States,' a department spokesperson said.

However, the women's lawyers say the same ruling also granted protection against deportation to El Salvador under the Convention Against Torture.

In a statement, Murray Osorio PLLC said the protection remained in force and had not been terminated.

Their lawyer, Justice Haynes, said ICE intended to deport both women to Mexico, where neither holds legal status.

He warned that the proposed transfer could expose them to onward deportation to El Salvador.

The protection does not automatically prohibit removal to another country. However, the lawyers argue that the proposed Mexico transfer raises serious concerns about their safety and legal rights.

Neither woman has a criminal record, according to their legal team.

University of Maryland Student Describes Her Life Inside ICE Detention

Flores Garcia described difficult conditions at the Louisiana facility, including coughing among detainees and unpleasant surroundings.

'It's just a big room. You can hear the people coughing. It smells in here,' she said.

Speaking to CBS News Baltimore, she acknowledged struggling emotionally while trying to remain positive.

'There's obviously times where I break down because it's devastating being here, knowing that my life outside is on pause,' she said.

Her detention has drawn criticism from Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who called for her return home.

'ICE isn't rounding up "the worst of the worst." This is just pure cruelty for cruelty's sake,' Moore wrote on 11 November.

Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer also urged President Donald Trump to secure Flores Garcia's release.

University of Maryland students have organised support for her, while the university said it was providing assistance where possible.

Meanwhile, Haynes has called for both women to be released and given an opportunity to challenge the proposed removal to Mexico.