ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own.
ICE detained the undocumented parents of the Perez family in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, leaving their U.S.-born children to manage on their own. The 21-year-old daughter, Eliza Perez, assumed responsibility for the household and the family’s landscaping business. The case reflects a broader trend, with an estimated 205,000 children experiencing a parent’s detention in the past year and a half.
- ▪Romeo Sr. and his wife Olga were both taken into immigration detention despite having lived in the United States for decades.
- ▪Their children, including Eliza, Jessica, Romeo Jr., and Cynthia, are U.S. citizens and were forced to fend for themselves.
- ▪Eliza, a college student, now heads the household and runs the family’s landscaping business.
- ▪Approximately 205,000 children have had a parent detained by ICE in the last 18 months, highlighting a widespread issue.
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Eliza Perez, 21, has been forced to become the head of her household in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, after ICE detained her parents. Six Eye Films Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. Last fall, life for the Perez children was turned upside down. Their father, Romeo Sr., was picked up on his way to work and sent to immigration detention. A few months later, their mother, Olga, was detained, too. Her daughter was driving when they were pulled over. Romeo Sr. and Olga were both undocumented and had lived in the United States for decades; their children are US citizens.
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