By Belize Live News Staff: More than a month has passed since Belizean grandmother Margarita Ávila was placed in U.S. immigration detention, and her family is pleading for her release.
Ávila, 51, was arrested in Spring, Texas, on March 12 after a disagreement with a postal worker escalated into accusations of assault. Despite no criminal conviction, Ávila was turned over to ICE the next day and remains detained as U.S. authorities seek to deport her to Belize.
Her daughter, Lisbet Ávila, said the accusations are unfair and that video evidence shows Margarita was trying to defend herself during a physical struggle involving a weed trimmer. Witnesses to the incident have given conflicting reports, but authorities sided with the postal worker’s version of events.
Attorney David Paz stressed that Ávila has followed all U.S. immigration rules since arriving in 2012 seeking asylum from the dangerous situation back home in Belize. He warned that too often, immigrants are deported based only on accusations rather than actual convictions, stripping them of their chance to fairly fight their case.
The impact on the Ávila family has been heartbreaking. Her younger sons cry uncontrollably after visiting their mother in detention, and family gatherings, including Easter celebrations, have been canceled because of the sadness of her absence.
The family has started a public petition and continues to call on immigration officials to show compassion and allow Margarita Ávila to remain in the U.S. while her legal matters are sorted out.
As of today, she remains in detention — with no set release date.
