MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Fighting detention and deportation can cost a lot of money, money that many immigrant families don't have. Nancy Guan with WUSF in Tampa spoke with some families who are facing this challenge.
NANCY GUAN, BYLINE: Life changed drastically for Perla Velasquez when her partner, Carlos, was detained and deported.
PERLA VELASQUEZ: Working now for the past six months by myself has been very hard.
GUAN: Before, Velasquez was a stay-at-home mom. Now she supports her kids, working several jobs.
VELASQUEZ: I have been doing lawn cutting. I have been doing house cleaning, yard cleaning.
GUAN: She has a teenage son and a 3-year-old daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: (Non-English language spoken).
VELASQUEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
GUAN: For them, she tries to put on a brave face.
VELASQUEZ: I feel tired, frustrated. I feel angry.
GUAN: Velasquez has been with Carlos for more than 10 years. Though they never married, she says they're family. He's the father of her youngest child. While she's a U.S. citizen, Velasquez asked that we use only Carlos' first name because he doesn't have legal status. He crossed the U.S. border about 20 years ago. Last October, Carlos was on his way to a welding job when he was arrested for driving without a license. He can't get one in Florida without legal status.
The sheriff's department transferred him to ICE custody. Velasquez hired attorneys for about $8,000. Since Carlos didn't have a criminal record, they thought he could be released on bond while fighting deportation.
VELASQUEZ: We had the hope.
GUAN: But the judge denied it, and in March, he was deported to Guatemala. Velasquez says she's still paying off the lawyers' fees.
VELASQUEZ: I don't regret anything that I've tried to do for him to be able to stay here.
GUAN: Costs to fight deportation vary widely. Legal representation can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, which can send already desperate families into debt. That includes a woman who asked us to use only her last name, Reyes (ph), because she doesn't have legal status. Reyes is making ends meet by selling homemade food and taking care of kids in her neighborhood.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN PLAYING)
GUAN: Her two youngest play tag with the others.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: I got you. I got you. I got you.
GUAN: In June of 2025, the Florida Highway Patrol stopped Reyes' husband on his way to work over an obstructed license plate. He was turned over to ICE and ended up at a detention center in San Diego.
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: It's been hard, she says, when we spoke to her this June, a year after his arrest. She rifles through papers showing the legal fees.
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: The attorney cost her about $13,000 so far.
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: At one point, her family was on the verge of being evicted...
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: ...Before friends and relatives helped.
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: But it's not just the finances, she says.
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: The worst part is her kids not knowing if their dad's coming home. But then in July, Reyes' husband was released from detention with an ankle monitor. Donations help pay for his $1,500 bond and a plane ticket home.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #3: Pa.
GUAN: And he hugged his kids for the first time in a year.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #3: (Crying).
GUAN: But Reyes says...
REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
GUAN: "We don't know where we stand until we can win his deportation case."
For NPR News, I'm Nancy Guan in Tampa.
(SOUNDBITE OF BUGSEED'S "QUIETUDE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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