FL Mom Deported To Cuba, Separated From U.S.-Citizen Family: Reports

TAMPA, FL — A Tampa family is fighting to have a Cuban mother returned to her husband and 1-year-old child after she was among several people who were deported this week, per media reports.

Heidy Sanchez Tejeda was called to an immigration office for a next-day check-in, and when she arrived, WTSP reported she was detained and eventually put on a plane headed for Cuba.

Tejeda, married to Carlos Yunier Valle, came to the U.S. in 2020 after fleeing the "misery and hunger" of Cuba and after being temporarily held in Mexico before being allowed entry into the U.S., Valle told WTSP.

A deportation order was pending against Tejeda due to a missed hearing in 2019, the Associated Press reported. She spent nine months being detained, and Cuba wou.d not allow her back into the country at the time. That led to Tejeda's release and an order for routine check-ins with immigration officials, per the news outlet.

Valle, who has been a U.S. citizen for about 15 years, met Tejeda in 2021 in Tampa before marrying her two years later, WTSP reported. Tejeda, who worked as a nursing assistant, was in the U.S. on an I-220 Order of Supervision, the news outlet reported.

Tejeda's child is currently breastfeeding and has seizures, family attorney Claudia Cañizares told the Associated Press.

On Thursday, immigration officials rejected paperwork Cañizares attempted to file to halt Tejeda's deportation, the Associated Press reported.

“I think they’re following orders that they need to remove a certain amount of people by day and they don’t care, honestly,” Cañizares told AP.

Protests have been held to advocate for Tejeda's return to Tampa. Supporters of Tejeda have voiced calling on action from Florida legislators, WFLA reported.

Florida has been doubling down on immigration policies recently, with law enforcement partnering with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest almost 800 undocumented immigrants during a four-day operation.

The ICE raids have been a culmination of the Trump administration's efforts to massively deport undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and come on the brink of Florida's support for the administration's endeavors.

In February, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that required the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first-degree murder or child rape.