Pregnant woman detained by ICE on Wednesday in South LA deported to Nicaragua by Friday

Activists and the community of South Los Angeles are enraged after learning that a woman in her eighth month of pregnancy was detained by ICE on Wednesday and deported to Nicaragua on Friday morning. 

According to the group Union del Barrio, Leonela Liliana Gomez Hernandez, 27, had a prenatal doctor’s appointment on Wednesday at the clinic on Vernon and Central Ave. in South Central Los Angeles. However, she never made it to the appointment and at around 1 p.m. she called a friend stating that she had been detained and was under the custody of federal immigration agents. 

Union del Barrio and the Community Self-Defense Coalition, which patrols the streets of Los Angeles in search of immigration officers attempting to detain people, searched for Hernandez in different locations like police stations and hospitals. They even contacted federal agencies and ICE said they didn’t have her in their custody. 

On Friday morning, Hernandez called her husband from Managua, Nicaragua informing him that she is okay but that she was deported. 

Hernandez told her husband by phone that she was pressured by agents to sign her deportation and that because of her being eight months pregnant, she felt forced to sign. 

She had an open case with immigration and had attended multiple check-ins with immigration prior to being kidnapped and deported. 

Union del Barrio stated that this swift deportation once again confirms that people have no due process in this country. 

“She did not get the chance to see a judge, to speak to an attorney or even to her husband. She was deported and ICE never even processed her name into the system,” stated Union del Barrio. 

The group said they are denouncing this inhumane treatment of a pregnant woman and demands answers from ICE. Additionally, they said this case once again raises the issue of people being kidnapped by unidentified masked gunmen that drive unmarked vehicles with no license plates. “The community has no way of knowing exactly who is kidnapping people on the streets of Los Angeles. The FBI has confirmed several cases of men impersonating ICE agents and kidnapping women,” the group stated. 

CALÓ News contacted the Department of Homeland Security for a clarification on the case, but  ICE hasn't provided a response yet.