Despite claims that family separation policies had ended, a heartbreaking case involving a 6-year-old Honduran girl shows otherwise. Gabriela Pineda now finds herself alone in the U.S., separated from her mother and without a legal guardian or a clear path back to Honduras.
On June 4, Gabriela’s mother, Wendy Sarai Pineda, was detained during a routine ICE check-in and swiftly transferred to a detention center in Kentucky. Her sudden arrest left Gabriela alone and confused at home, unaware of her mother’s whereabouts.
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Wendy’s fiancé, Camerino Gomez, has been caring for the child since the separation. But with only a year of knowing Gabriela and no legal guardianship rights, he’s worried. “I fear the day a legal guardian is required and I can’t fulfill the role,” he said.
The complications don’t stop there. Gabriela’s passport is being held by ICE, preventing her from traveling—even if Wendy is deported. And as a Honduran national with a pending asylum case, Gabriela cannot leave the U.S. without special permission. No formal policy seems to address her situation.
Usually, ICE places children of detained parents with relatives or into foster care. Gomez fears Gabriela may soon be pulled into the system, which could permanently sever her connection to her mother.
Currently, the young girl is being passed between neighbors—like 70-year-old Maria Ponce—and various family friends. “It breaks my heart,” Maria said, describing Gabriela’s sadness and confusion over her mother’s absence.
Wendy had lived in the U.S. for years under a degree of protection, deemed a low priority under the Biden administration. But her status shifted sharply with Donald Trump’s return to power. Witnesses say she was taken in an unmarked van, along with others, as emotional family members watched helplessly.
As of now, no legal petition has been filed on Wendy’s behalf. Gabriela remains caught in a bureaucratic maze, without answers or support—another child lost in the wake of a revived immigration crackdown.
