Dreamer daughter says mother died after ICE confiscated her medicine and deported them
A teenage “Dreamer” deported with her mother to Guatemala watched helplessly as her mother struggled to survive without her essential medications, ultimately dying at 45.
NBC News' Jacob Soboroff brought the story of Nory Sontay Ramos and her mother, Estela, to America's attention as President Donald Trump continues to deploy mass deportations across the country. While Trump told Americans he would target criminals and gangs, the family didn't fall under either label.
Estela died after ICE took her blood pressure medication before she was deported.
Speaking to Soboroff, Nory said her mother was “overwhelmed” with the stress of being sent back to Guatemala. She refused to leave the small apartment where they slept, sure that the gang members who once threatened to kill her were outside the door waiting.
Estela had “persistent headaches” as a result of high blood pressure.
“She barely slept,” Nory said. “She just kept thinking about our situation and the possibility of the gang finding us. She was very worried.”
Last Monday, Estela said she didn't feel well. Her family tried to take her to a doctor, "but she refused. She was too afraid to go out," Nory said, sobbing.
She vomited and collapsed. They tried to help but didn't have medicine. "I feel like I'm going to die," Estela told her daughters. They thought she'd fallen asleep. Instead, Estela died. Emergency responders couldn't save her.
The death certificate claims Estela died from "liver cirrhosis."
"Estela’s oldest daughter, who lives in Los Angeles and whom we are not naming for security reasons, said her mother 'had a drinking problem when she was young,' but had stopped drinking 'a long time ago,'" the report said.
"Cirrhosis, experts say, can significantly affect blood pressure, something Nory said they were unable to treat after being deported," the report continued.
“I want people to know that my mom’s medications were taken away and not returned,” said Nory as she cried. "They took away my mother’s medicine. I had no way to help her."
The family said that the medications were taken when they were in custody in Los Angeles. But they were ultimately transferred to Texas, staying at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. There, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said "she was given a medical evaluation and prescribed medications she needed."
The family said the drugs were taken in LA, not Texas, however.
ICE also told Soboroff that Estela and Nory were “given due process and exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S.”
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