Cobb County Family Told Daughter Held in Shelter as Mother Detained in Texas

A 9-year-old girl from El Salvador has remained in a government-run shelter in the Houston area for more than seven months, according to her legal team. Her mother, Carmen, is currently held in a detention center in Louisiana. The two have been separated since late 2025, despite efforts to reunite them under the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

The child, identified as M.R., traveled to the United States with her older sister late last year. They crossed the Rio Grande and were detained by Border Patrol officers in Texas. Their goal was to join Carmen and their brother, who had fled El Salvador earlier and were living in Tennessee. Carmen said gang members killed M.R.'s father, uncle, and a pregnant cousin, prompting the family to seek safety in the U.S.

M.R. arrived at a shelter overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement. Under previous administrations, children typically waited about one month while officials vetted sponsors. M.R.'s brother, who arrived in 2024, stayed in a shelter for 11 days. M.R.'s stay has extended to nearly eight months, a duration far longer than the average, which has stretched to nearly six months for many children.

In April, Carmen attended a DNA test appointment at a Department of Homeland Security office in Houston. She had completed tax submissions, fingerprinting, and a home visit. She believed the test was the final step to secure her daughter's release. Immigration officers detained Carmen at the appointment without a warrant. The resettlement office subsequently rejected her sponsorship application, citing the detention.

Carmen was sent to a detention center in Louisiana. She has a pending asylum case and no criminal record. In a September interview, Carmen said, "Both of us are trapped. She's just a helpless little girl. The process shouldn't be like this." The KFF Health News report, republished by the Cobb County Courier, uses only Carmen's first name and M.R.'s initials due to fears of government reprisal.

M.R. has expressed distress to her mother during phone calls, which occur about three times a week. She has reported sadness, loneliness, nosebleeds, and a suspected infection. In a letter written in misspelled Spanish using markers at the shelter, she wrote, "I want to be with you already," adding hearts and a rainbow. Her attorney, Alexa Sendukas, said the child blames herself for the separation. Sendukas noted, "Our government has completely failed them and has treated them in a way no human being should ever be treated."

The Office of Refugee Resettlement is tasked by Congress with caring for unaccompanied children. As of September, nearly 1,900 children were held in these shelters. The current administration has reconfigured the office to aid its deportation campaign, according to interviews with families, lawyers, and advocates. Former federal health official Jonathan White said the administration is reshaping the system from a child welfare program into a detention program.

John Fabbricatore, a senior adviser with the office, said the agency is being more careful with releases. "ORR is not slow," he said in an emailed statement, "we are just more careful, as we should be: children's lives are at stake." The Department of Homeland Security stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not separate families. The agency listed 16 cases where sponsors were arrested for serious crimes, including rape, drug trafficking, and homicide, to justify the stricter vetting.

M.R.'s older sister was released when she turned 18, three weeks after arriving. Courts blocked attempts to transfer those who age out of the system into immigration detention. M.R. remains in the shelter. The administration has offered children payments of at least $2,500 to return to their home countries voluntarily. M.R. has received counseling at the shelter. Her therapist reported she was sad and cried about missing her mother, though no mental health conditions were diagnosed.