PITTSBURG, Kan. — In Pittsburg, Kansas, two hours south of Kansas City, KSHB 41 is giving a voice to Carina Moran. She says her mom, Rosmery Alvarado, came to Kansas City for an interview at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services office on Wednesday, but ended up being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
KSHB’s Fernanda Silva interviewed Carina at Lakeside Park in Pittsburg, where the 20-year-old used to walk with her mom.
She’s afraid she will never be able to do it again.
“I wish we could come back to this park,” Carina said. “It's hard. I don't know what I'm going to do without her."
Rosmery is being held at an ICE facility in Chase County.
“She said that she’s been crying herself to sleep,” said Carina.
Carina Moran, who’s a United States citizen, is the daughter of two immigrants.
Her father, Nixon Moran, is from El Salvador. Moran became a U.S. citizen In March.
Her mom, Rosmery, is from Guatemala.
Rosmery has been working to get her lawful permanent resident status since April 2021, after being undocumented for years.
Nixon, who was already a lawful permanent resident, filed the petition for his wife.
According to Carina, he resubmitted the petition when he became a U.S. citizen last month.
They received a letter last week from USCIS.
“You are notified to appear before a USCIS officer regarding the application," the letter stated.
Rosmery’s family drove to Kansas City for what they thought was an interview. She believed she was one step closer to getting her green card.
Instead, she was detained by immigration officers.
“We just watched as they drove away with my mom, and we couldn't do anything about it,” Carina said.
KSHB 41 reached out to USCIS. They would not comment on her individual case.
USCIS said they are "strengthening" their partnership with ICE in support of President Trump's executive orderon immigration enforcement."
Carina's family is in pieces now.
“I didn't give her a hug," Carina said. "I didn’t say anything to her, but I told her everything was going to be OK. But in reality, I didn’t know if everything was going to be OK."
Carina's younger brothers also are struggling.
“They keep asking, ‘Where's mom? When is she going to come back?’” Carina said.
According to Chase County Sheriff Jacob Welsh, Rosmery has an order of removal, which a judge issued in 2002.
Carina said the family's lawyer believes the reason for the detention is Rosmery's previous deportation order.
She also faced domestic violence charges in 2017 and 2019, but the cases were dismissed.
KSHB 41 requested the police reports for both cases.
In 2017, Pittsburg police responded to a reported domestic disturbance. According to the report, a man claimed his wife, Rosmery, grabbed him in a "rude, insolent or angry manner" during a verbal argument.
Almost 19 months later, a Pittsburg police report shows officers responded to reports of erratic driving. When police arrived at the scene, they found a man with a bleeding head wound.
A witness in the car said Rosmery struck the male subject in the head, possibly with keys, during an argument.
Carina said on both occasions, her mom was trying to protect the family.
“I never claimed her to be perfect,” Carina said. “Every family goes through something.”
Afraid of the outcome, the family is counting on community support toraise moneyto help send her mom’s belongings to Guatemala, if needed.
If Rosmery is deported, her family wants to ensure she has a stable way to restart her life in her home country.
KSHB 41 reached out to ICE, but hasn’t heard back.
Carina's family is fighting for a positive outcome and holding on to the memories they've made.
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