Woman Asked To Be Deported To The US To Return To Her Family
Honduran migrant asked to be deported, but ICE denied it due to lack of a court order. Thus, she was able to return to the country to reunite with her family.
The Honduran migrant who asked to be deported. – Photo: Courtesy.
After a year and a half of uncertainty and difficulties, Jessica Paola Ramírez and her daughter Astrid returned to Honduras , ending a difficult chapter in their lives.
“I’m happy to see my children and my mother. I feel very happy,” Jessica told Univision after landing at Palmerola International Airport in Comayagua .
From there, she walked through the streets of her neighborhood in Tegucigalpa under the darkness of the night to meet her loved ones. Her arrival was a touching surprise for her family, who could not hold back their tears as they hugged her again.
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“I was afraid they would send her away and leave her little girl behind,” said Ana Ramírez Cruz, Jessica’s mother, recalling her fears during her daughter’s journey to the United States.
The day after her return, Paola shared part of her experience in the North American country.
“They would come into the apartments, knock on the doors, and we wouldn’t open them because we knew there were raids in Houston ,” she said, highlighting the constant fear she experienced during her stay.
She suffered an accident that made her travel to the United States
Jessica Paola has faced difficult times in recent years. In 2019, she suffered a serious accident when a power line fell on her, causing severe burns that resulted in the amputation of an arm and a leg.
In September 2023, having partially overcome his medical difficulties, he decided to travel to the United States . Upon reaching the border, he turned himself in to immigration authorities and requested asylum from the Joe Biden administration .
Although she had an immigration court date in September, she feared she would be detained and separated from her daughter.
‘I went to ICE, they rejected me’
“I went to ICE, they rejected me, they told me they couldn’t deport me, that I had to deport myself because I didn’t have a deportation order,” Jessica told Univision.
That’s when ICE referred her to the Honduran consulate in Houston, where authorities helped her purchase a plane ticket so she could return to her country.
“We are happy because he is with us,” said his son, Andi Ramirez, with gratitude.
“I feel like the spirit has come back to me because I am with my mother, with my children, and I can hug them now; I couldn’t do that before,” Jessica said with obvious relief.
Jessica Paola reflected on the difficulties she has experienced in recent weeks and stressed that her experience reflects the anguish faced by many migrants, especially following the restrictive policies implemented during the Trump administration.
However, her return to Honduras has given her the strength to move forward alongside her loved ones.
Deportations in the United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the United States continue to be a key strategy for enforcing immigration laws.
These operations focus primarily on the arrest of people with pending deportation orders, criminal records, or who have violated their immigration status. During these raids, ICE often makes surprise visits to homes, workplaces, and communities with high migrant populations.
Human rights groups have expressed concern about these practices, arguing that they create fear in immigrant communities and make it difficult for undocumented people to report crimes or access essential services.
