For those who believed that “Trump 2.0” had abandoned the controversial family separation policy, it may be time to reset expectations. The practice of separating children from their parents remains very much in effect, as Gabriella and her mother have painfully discovered.
Gabriela Pineda, a 6‑year‑old Honduran girl, now finds herself without her mother—or any legal guardian—after her mother was unexpectedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On June 4, Gabriela’s mother, Wendy Sarai Pineda, was taken into custody during a scheduled meeting with ICE and swiftly transferred to a detention center in Kentucky, facing possible deportation to Honduras. Gabriela was left alone at home, bewildered by her mother’s disappearance.
Since then, Wendy’s fiancé, Camerino Gomez, has been caring for Gabriela. However, Gomez is not her legal guardian and has known her for just one year—a precarious legal situation. “I fear the day a legal guardian is required and I can’t fulfill the role,” he told the Inquisitr .
The situation grows more complex: Gomez cannot travel with Gabriela to join Wendy if Wendy is deported, because ICE is holding Gabriela’s passport. Additionally, as a Honduran national with an active asylum application, Gabriela cannot leave the U.S. without a special authorization. According to the Inquisitr, there are currently no clear policies addressing situations like theirs .
Typically, when parents are detained by ICE, children are placed with extended family or in foster care. Gomez is concerned that without a timely legal solution, Gabriela may end up in the system, severing ties with her mother .
For now, Gabriela is shuffled between neighbors—like 70‑year‑old Maria Ponce—and the households of Gomez’s children or his brother’s family. “It breaks my heart,” says Maria, describing the little girl’s loneliness and confusion over her mother’s absence .
Wendy Pineda was detained without warning after responding to a routine ICE summons. She had lived in the U.S. for several years and was not deemed a threat under President Biden’s administration, which allowed her some temporary relief. However, since Donald Trump’s return to power, her status changed dramatically .
Eyewitnesses say she was taken away in an unmarked white van alongside at least 20 others, in full view of sobbing family members—a scene becoming all too common as even very young children are caught in these operations .
To date, no legal remedy has been filed on behalf of Wendy Pineda. Meanwhile, her daughter lives in limbo, with no answers and no clear path forward.
Source: Inquisitr News
