ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) -A mother and daughter are being held in a detention center after being taken into custody by ICE agents during a routine check-in, with family members saying the detention resulted from an official’s mistake.
Dulce Valdez-Zarate and her daughter, Georgina Hernandez-Valdez, were detained by ICE agents in downtown St. Louis on May 1.
Amy Hernandez, Valdez-Zarate’s sister-in-law, was present when the two were taken into custody.
“I was pretty upset that day because I took them to their ice check-in, so. It was very upsetting,” Hernandez said.
Valdez-Zarate and Hernandez-Valdez entered the U.S. in 2023 and immediately applied for asylum because of the dangers from drug cartels in the area of Mexico that they fled. Hernandez said the two never had a problem with ICE at previous meetings.
“They followed all the policies, all the procedures and rules. Got all their immigration paperwork,” Hernandez said.
Valdez-Zarate worked at Ariel Premium Supply on Page Avenue. Hernandez-Valdez was a junior at Ritenour High School.
Scheduling error cited
They are being held in the Saint Genevieve County Detention Center. In a video call, interpreter Julianna Torres asked if they had been told why they were in custody.
“They said they told them that it was because they needed a court date,” Torres said.
The family showed immigration paperwork that has a court date of Nov. 7, 2023. The family said immigration employees made a mistake and never scheduled a hearing on that day.
The Ritenour High School community has stepped up to support the family. In a letter, social studies teacher Jason Spurgeon wrote: “Georgina is an exemplary student.”
Assistant Principal Dr. Declan FitzPatrick wrote in a letter that her detention “may cause her to fail all eight of her classes, putting her off track to graduate on time.”
In the video call, Torres interpreted their description of conditions at the jail.
“They said it was very stressful being in that environment. Gina said one of the biggest things is the food and the quality of the water,” Torres said.
A July trial date has been set where a judge will either grant asylum or order their deportation.
“They said they’re very worried about the day in court, but they remain hopeful even though they’re being detained because that’s all they can really do,” Torres said, interpreting Valdez-Zarate’s answer.
The ICE Public Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment.
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