Judge Orders Release of Mother Detained on Baltimore School Grounds

Adriana Gavilan Sanchez, a mother detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a Baltimore school campus last month, has been ordered to be released from immigration custody. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox issued the ruling, requiring her release by 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Following her detention, Gavilan Sanchez was held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia. As of now, she is no longer listed in the ICE online detainee locator system.

Gavilan Sanchez and her partner, Jesus Acevedo Sanchez, were taken into custody on June 11 while they were dropping off their daughter at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School. The incident unfolded in front of their children and other students, with reports indicating that ICE agents forcibly removed Acevedo Sanchez from their vehicle.

Initial claims from ICE suggested that Gavilan Sanchez assaulted officers during the arrest. However, recent court documents do not mention any such assault and state that the agents faced only “minimal physical resistance” when they approached her vehicle.

The couple, originally from Mexico, are facing deportation as they do not have legal status in the United States. Their daughters, however, are U.S. citizens, according to their legal representatives.

In a sworn affidavit, Acevedo Sanchez described a harrowing scene where individuals not in uniform brandished weapons and struck their vehicle with unmarked cars. Gavilan Sanchez recounted a chilling moment when an officer threatened her as she attempted to retrieve a phone from the ground.

Judge Maddox has instructed both parties to submit a joint status report regarding the case by Monday. Meanwhile, Acevedo Sanchez is scheduled to appear in court on July 23 and is currently detained at the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia.

Reported by HarborBeat based on The Baltimore Banner (source).