Mother Reunites With Her Children After Seven Months Detained by ICE, but Now She Will Have to Self-Deport

• Olga Pérez Reunites With Her Family After Seven Months
• She Must Self-Deport Soon
• Family Faces Another Separation

The hug Olga Pérez had been waiting for over the past seven months finally happened in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.

The 47-year-old Guatemalan migrant was able to reunite with her four children after being held at an immigration detention center in Eloy, Arizona, since November 2025.

The Joy of Returning, However, Is Marked by a New Goodbye

Although she was released this week, Olga Pérez must leave the United States before July 5 after accepting voluntary departure to Guatemala, a country she has not returned to in more than three decades.

The woman is widely known in the community for her work as a translator of the Mayan Mam language, a role that made her a key figure for many Indigenous Guatemalan immigrants in Florida.

“I am so happy to see them, but I am still in shock. My mind is still processing whether this is real or not,” Pérez said after reuniting with her family.

Seven Months of Detention Separated Olga Pérez From Her Children

Olga Pérez’s case has drawn attention from community organizations and immigrant advocates because of the circumstances of her detention at the hands of ICE.

The Guatemalan woman was detained after a traffic stop on Interstate 95 near Lake Worth Beach.

According to the case background, she was not driving the vehicle and has no criminal record.

During the following months, she faced a long immigration process marked by delays and postponed hearings.

Her case went through nine different hearings before a judge authorized her release on parole.

The measure allowed her to leave the detention center while the immigration process concludes.

Despite that, the decision does not allow her to remain in the country.

“Detention was a nightmare, but I am finally home, at least for now,” Pérez said during the celebration organized in her honor.

Her four children are U.S. citizens and now have barely two weeks to spend time with their mother before she begins the trip back to Guatemala.

Immigration Chaos Put the Long-Awaited Return to Florida at Risk

The Guatemalan Maya Center said Olga Pérez’s release was surrounded by uncertainty and unexpected changes.

According to the organization, on June 2, the migrant lost her immigration case and a judge gave her one month to leave the country.

However, when the community center was preparing to bring her back to Florida, an ICE detention center official revoked the decision.

“But because the entire immigration system is plunged into chaos, a detention center official revoked the judge’s order and said Olga would be deported immediately to Guatemala. Once again, her children’s hearts were shattered.”

Faced with that situation, the organization began preparing an alternative plan to reunite the family directly in Guatemala.

Two weeks later, there was an unexpected turn.

“This Monday, Olga called to say she was being released. Once again, the chaos of the current immigration system was evident. She received no information other than notice that she would be released on parole.”

A Chain of Solidarity Allowed Olga Pérez to Return Home

The Guatemalan Maya Center emphasized that Pérez’s return was made possible thanks to the help of many people who did not know her.

“Olga’s story is the story of the Greyhound station employee who allowed her to use her phone to call us.”

“Olga’s story is the story of the Cuban driver who kept telling her: ‘Don’t cry, mami, I’ll stay with you until you get inside the house.’”

“Olga’s story is the story of that Airbnb host, a Mexican doctor who cannot practice her profession in this country, but who completed her service internship among Mayan communities in Chiapas.”

The organization also highlighted the support provided by Commissioner McVoy, who traveled to Phoenix to help with the logistics of her return.

The reunion culminated in an emotional ceremony with relatives, friends, and members of the community

“Yesterday morning, when Olga passed from the arms of her children into Father Frank’s embrace, those of us present joined our prayer to his: ‘Lord, make us faithful signs of your goodness in this broken world.’”

Now, as she enjoys her final days with her children in Florida, Olga Pérez faces a new reality: preparing to leave behind the life she built over more than 30 years in the United States.

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SOURCE: Telemundo / Soymigrante.com