SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A Chula Vista mother was released from ICE custody Monday evening after nearly two weeks of detention, on what happened to be her youngest child's fourth birthday.
Kris Estefany Pineda-Torregrosa walked out of the Otay Mesa Detention Center just before 7 p.m., fitted with an ankle monitor after ICE granted her parole request. However, she says her release was bittersweet as her husband, Reinaldo, remains in custody.
Pineda-Torregrosa spoke through tears, describing her mixed emotions about being freed without her husband.
The mother from Colombia and her Venezuelan husband were detained by ICE in late January in Chula Vista, leaving their sons, ages 4 and 12, without a legal guardian. Family friend Itzel Jimenez stepped in to care for the children when no other family members lived nearby.
"It was either they were going to go to CPS because no one was going to pick them up, or they're going to come with somebody that they knew, so I decided to just take them," Jimenez said.
Immigration attorney Nerea Woods took on the case through the county's Immigrant Legal Defense Program after learning about the family's situation on ABC 10News. Woods argued that ICE violated its own policy regarding the detention and removal of parents with minor children by detaining both parents simultaneously.
"It's heartbreaking that we ever had to get to this point," Woods said.
The case also drew community support. ABC 10News viewer Julie Rieth stepped forward to adopt the family's dog, Bella, after Jimenez had to surrender the pet to a shelter due to her son's allergies.
After more than a week of requests for information, ICE confirmed Friday that both parents lack lawful status to remain in the country, but did not explain why both were detained, leaving the children without a legal guardian.
Woods says she'll continue to fight for Reinaldo's release, hoping to work on their removal case without requiring continued custody.
"It was very clear to me that legally it should have never happened. I think that when we made it publicly known that it shouldn't have happened, I hope that really pushed ICE to do the right thing," Woods said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
