They Took Her While She Was Nursing: The Story of Heidy Sánchez
The Disappearance of Heidy Sánchez Tejeda
Heidy Sánchez Tejeda came to the United States from Cuba in 2019. She built a quiet life in Tampa, Florida, working as a nursing assistant. She married a U.S. citizen and in 2023 gave birth to her daughter Kailyn after undergoing fertility treatments. She paid taxes, held a Florida driver’s license, had a Social Security number, and had no criminal record.
On April 22, 2025, Heidy arrived for what she believed was a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She had done this before. But this time, while breastfeeding her one-year-old daughter, she was unexpectedly detained. ICE officers took her into custody without prior warning. She was not allowed to make arrangements for her child. She was not offered legal counsel. She was given no hearing.
Two days later, on April 24, 2025, ICE deported Heidy to Cuba. Her daughter Kailyn remained behind in the United States with Heidy’s husband. ICE never gave Heidy the option to bring her daughter. Her husband was not notified until after Heidy was already gone.
Family members report that Heidy was asked to sign paperwork she did not understand. She speaks limited English and had no attorney present to explain the consequences. There was no legal review of her case. There was no due process.
Heidy’s deportation happened while she was still breastfeeding. Since her removal, she has been trying to maintain contact with her infant daughter through video calls. But her daughter does not understand what happened. She wakes up without her mother. Her father is doing his best to care for her alone, including managing her medical needs.
Heidy is now stranded in Cuba. Her family is pursuing humanitarian relief to bring her back. But every day apart deepens the trauma. The harm is ongoing. The separation is real.
This is not just a policy failure. It is a human rights violation. A mother was taken without cause. A baby was separated from her only source of comfort. A family was fractured by a system that operates in silence.
This is how people disappear. This is how families are torn apart. This is what it means to lose due process.
Do not look away.
Sources:
Belly of the Beast Cuba:
"They separated Heidy Sánchez from her baby, then put her on a plane to Cuba"YouTube (Belly of the Beast Cuba):
Video profile on Heidy SánchezKSBY News:
"Nursing mother deported to Cuba, separated from infant daughter"
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