UMD Student and Mother Detained at ICE Check-In
On November 9, 2026, the detention of University of Maryland freshman Maria Flores Garcia and her mother, Mirna, who also bears the surname Flores Garcia, drew concern from university officials and Prince George’s County’s elected executive. The two were taken into custody after attending a scheduled ICE check-in in Baltimore on November 6, according to Maria’s boyfriend, Cesar Saavedra.
Saavedra said authorities gave Maria the choice to leave her mother or remain with her and be detained. Maria chose to stay. He said the pair were first moved to a facility in Chantilly, Virginia, and then transferred to Louisiana. Saavedra has organized a fundraiser to help the family with legal expenses and communication.
Maria, 19, is a University of Maryland freshman studying public health on a scholarship. She graduated as valedictorian of Parkdale High School’s class of 2026. Her mother, 48, and Maria are from El Salvador. In a high school speech, Maria described struggling with English after arriving in the United States as a child and relying on her father to translate schoolwork.
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy said the detention happened when Maria’s mother attended an ICE appointment she was required to attend. Braveboy called for Maria’s release and safe return. The university said the student was taken into custody off campus and that it was working to offer resources where appropriate. ICE had not responded to a request for comment in the reports.
ICE Detains Maryland Student Who Chose to Stay With Her Mother
On November 9, 2026, the detention of a college freshman and her mother after a scheduled immigration check-in put the human cost of enforcement in sharp focus. Maria Flores Garcia, 19, could have left when authorities detained her mother, her boyfriend said. Instead, she stayed with her and was detained too.
The two, who are from El Salvador, were moved from Baltimore to Virginia and then Louisiana, according to Cesar Saavedra. He has started a fundraiser for legal costs and to help the family communicate. Their detention followed an appointment her mother was required to attend, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy said.
Maria is studying public health at the University of Maryland on a scholarship. Just months after graduating as Parkdale High School’s 2026 valedictorian, she is now in immigration custody. Her story of overcoming language barriers as a child makes the stakes especially stark: a student pursuing a future in college has been separated from her community through enforcement.
Braveboy called for Maria’s release and safe return. The university said it was working to provide resources where appropriate. The case raises a basic question for immigration enforcement: why should a family complying with a scheduled check-in face detention that separates them from their education and community?
ICE Detains Mother and Daughter After Scheduled Check-In
On November 9, 2026, the case of Maria Flores Garcia and her mother showed the consequences of federal immigration enforcement at a scheduled check-in. The pair were detained in Baltimore on November 6 and later transferred to Louisiana, according to Maria’s boyfriend, Cesar Saavedra.
Saavedra said authorities offered Maria the option of leaving her mother or staying and being detained. She chose to remain with her. The reports do not describe the basis for ICE’s action, but they identify the encounter as an annual scheduled interview. The central facts are that the check-in took place and both women were taken into custody.
Maria, 19, is a University of Maryland freshman on a public health scholarship and a former Parkdale High School valedictorian. Her mother, Mirna Flores Garcia, is 48. Prince George’s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy criticized the detention and called for Maria’s release, while the university said it was working to provide resources where possible and appropriate.
Saavedra has launched a fundraiser for the family’s legal expenses and communication. Compassion for the family does not erase the government’s role in enforcing immigration rules; the public debate should distinguish the emotional impact of a case from the broader question of how those rules are applied.
Reported by FOX 5 DC, Daily Mail US, The Baltimore Banner, WTOP.
