Belizean grandmother at risk of deportation after monthlong detention in U.S.

Published by [email protected] at April 27, 2025

Posted: Sunday, April 27, 2025. 5:18 am CST.

By Horace Palacio: A Belizean grandmother has been held in U.S. immigration detention for over a month, after what her family describes as a misunderstanding involving a mail carrier in Texas.

51-year-old Margarita Ávila, originally from Belize, was arrested on March 12 in Spring, Texas, after a postal worker accused her of assault. Her family insists she was simply defending herself and has been wrongfully detained. Ávila, who fled Belize in 2012 seeking asylum from gang violence, was placed into ICE custody the day after her arrest and remains there more than a month later.

Ávila’s daughter, Lisbet Ávila, told U.S. media that her mother has been a peaceful, hardworking member of her community for years, fully compliant with immigration authorities as she awaited a court hearing that never came. However, this one accusation — still under dispute — has led immigration officials to revive a removal order dating back to 2001.

Attorney David Paz said that Ávila was awaiting her asylum case and had not been convicted of any crime, stressing that deporting her based on an accusation would be unjust. He is working with local prosecutors to get the assault charge dismissed, which could strengthen Ávila’s chances of being released.

The Ávila family has launched a public petition demanding her release, highlighting the emotional toll her detention has had on her husband, children, and grandchildren. Holidays like Easter have passed without celebration, as the family struggles to cope with her absence.

There has been no official comment from U.S. immigration authorities on the case.

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