"The second-time mom and Guatemalan immigrant, who has lived in the country for a decade, would have relied on her husband to drive her to the hospital. But a few months ago he was deported, leaving Jacqueline and her daughter without the family's primary source of income, transportation and support. One morning in March, Jacqueline said, her partner was pulled over on his way to work when law enforcement officials discovered he didn't have a valid driver's license."
"Jacqueline's pregnancy was in its early stages. Her husband fought his case from detention for three months before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed him to Guatemala. "He was deported and I was left behind, thinking, 'What am I going to do?'" said Jacqueline, who requested that her last name not be published because she lacks permanent legal status. The couple shares an 8-year-old daughter who was born in, and is a citizen of, the United States."
Jacqueline planned to call 911 for an ambulance to transport her from her North Florida home to a hospital about an hour away for her son's birth. Her husband, the household's primary source of income and transportation, was pulled over, detained, fought his case for three months, and was deported to Guatemala. Deportation left Jacqueline and her daughter without financial support, transportation, or the husband's belongings. She lacks permanent legal status and became fearful of leaving home during intensified immigration enforcement, avoiding travel even as her pregnancy advanced.
Read at Truthout
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