Yulia Gómez held her infant son during a doctor’s appointment in Alabama as part of his care for health complications he’s faced since birth. Until a month ago, her husband Olinder Calderon was by her side to translate and help her understand their child’s care.
But on this day, Gómez was by herself because Calderon is hundreds of miles away in a Mississippi immigration detention center facing deportation to Guatemala, a country he left nearly 20 years ago.
Calderon plans to ask a judge to cancel removal proceedings against him because of his son and how much of a role he plays in the infant’s medical care. If deported, his wife said she would have to stay so that their American-born son can continue to receive specialized medical care.
“(It) would completely change our lives,” Gómez said in Spanish in a phone interview from the doctor’s office. “I’d have to start our whole life over, and I think we’d even end up separating because you can’t put love above our baby’s well-being and health.”
The 27-year-old has been especially worried because Calderon was the family’s main source of income and transportation to the baby’s appointments, some hours away.
Since he’s been away, Gómez said she has used their small savings to continue their son’s medical care. She is looking for support from organizations and searching for a pro bono immigration attorney because money is limited.
Calderon’s immigration case took a step forward Wednesday with a virtual preliminary hearing with Immigration Judge Larry Downend from the LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana.
That morning, Gómez logged on through a link provided by the federal government to watch the hearing, but she spent hours in a virtual waiting room unable to see anything before she was kicked off.
Later that day, she talked with her husband who told her the hearing was brief. Downend, who was appointed to the court in June, asked if Calderon had an attorney and if he needed more time to get one, Gómez said. The judge also asked about the possibility of voluntary self-deportation, but she said Calderon does not plan to do that because of their son.
His next hearing date is set for Sept. 1. At that hearing or a future one on his case’s merits, Calderon will have the chance to argue why he should stay in the country.
As Calderon’s case makes its way through immigration court, Gómez said she has been in contact with the office of Alabama U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who has offered help to look into Calderon’s case, including reaching out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A spokesperson for Rogers, a Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, was not immediately available for comment Friday.
Alabama resident Olinder Calderon has been detained in the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez for a month and faces deportation to Guatemala, a country he left nearly 20 years ago. If removed, he would leave behind a life he built with his wife, their 9-month-old son, and a church community. Calderon sings and plays bass guitar for the church band and he is a worship member. Credit: Courtesy of Yulia GómezCalderon, 37, came to the U.S. through a work visa and he stayed after it expired. He has worked as a painter and joined a Latino Christian church, where he became a member of the worship team, played bass guitar and sang in the church band. A friend introduced him to Gómez, and the couple married three years ago. Their son Oliver David was born in Georgia, near the Alabama border, in November.
Gómez said she doesn’t have a driver’s license and can’t leave her son with others because of his special care needs. She stopped working during her high-risk pregnancy.
Oliver developed bacterial meningitis after he was born, and the infection resulted in problems with his swallowing and coordination with his breathing. Gómez said eating poses a choking risk for him. The infant receives therapy at a Birmingham, Alabama, hospital and has appointments at a children’s clinic in Auburn, Alabama.
Because Gómez and Calderon don’t have family in the U.S., people from church and the community have stepped in to help her get to doctor’s appointments and buy milk and supplies for Oliver.
In a letter shared with Mississippi Today, Oliver’s pediatrician wrote that Calderon’s absence would have a physical, mental and emotional impact on the infant. The first week Calderon was gone, Gómez said their son had trouble sleeping because the baby was used to sleeping with his father.
On July 19, Calderon was driving home from church when a police officer in Jackson’s Gap, Alabama, pulled him over. The officer found Calderon had a suspended license due to an outstanding ticket from another state, Gómez said. Then the officer asked Calderson if he was a citizen. He told the truth: No, I don’t have papers.
Police put cuffs on his hands and legs and put him into the back of a cruiser, which Gómez said she saw through a video call from friends who met Calderon at the scene.
“What impacted me the most was seeing my husband … accused like a person who committed a crime,” she said, adding that he does not have a criminal record.
Coordination between local and state law enforcement and ICE is possible especially through the 287(g) program. Participation has exploded during the Trump administration. Jackon’s Gap’s agreement with ICE gives the force some authority to enforce federal immigration laws during routine policing, according to ICE records.
Similar 287(g) agreements have also been signed in Mississippi, and more departments and state agencies are expected to ink them because a new state law requires all counties with a jail to have one. As of August, 25 of the state’s 82 counties have signed them, as well over 20 police departments, five state agencies and a county constable’s office.
The Trump immigration crackdown has led to increased immigration arrests and restricted eligibility for bond hearings. At one point, anyone who entered the country illegally at any point in time could not receive bond to leave detention and await court proceedings from home, leading to indefinite detention. In July, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that those arrested are entitled to a bond hearing within 90 days of detention.
Olinder Calderon, center, has been at the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez for a month, hundreds of miles away from his home in Alabama. He came from Guatemala nearly 20 years ago and created a life in the United States, including becoming a member of his church community, meeting his wife Yulia Gómez, and having a son Oliver David. The couple is pictured at their baby shower in 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Yulia GómezCalderon had a bond hearing and provided written support from his church. The pastors highlighted his service and devotion to the church, his family and the community.
If released on bond, they said the church would continue to support Calderon and his family. The pastors said he earned their trust over the years and they are confident he would attend future immigration hearings, according to the letter shared with Mississippi Today.
Downend denied the request July 30, saying Calderon failed to meet the burden to show he wasn’t a flight risk, according to documents reviewed by Mississippi Today.
Calderon was moved from one immigration center to another, and Gómez was not able to talk to him. She said she tracked his movement through an app until he ended up in the Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi.
She talks to him daily, and through a tablet. Calderon can have video calls where he can see their son.
Since coming to the Natchez facility, Calderon has had a fever and sore throat, making it difficult for him to speak, Gómez said. She worries he has been receiving inadequate medical attention because he has asked a nurse to treat him, but Calderon said he hasn’t received treatment. Others at the immigration detention center are sick, too, he told her.
“What I want people to take from this story is that Olinder, my husband, is not a criminal. He’s a father, a hard worker, a man who for years has served the church and been part of the community. His criminal record is clean,” Gómez said.
“I want people to understand that behind an immigration detention there are human beings — families.”
Hence then, the article about ice detainee fights deportation to be with medically fragile infant son was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ICE detainee fights deportation to be with medically fragile infant son )
Also on site :
- Shoppers Say This ‘Adorable’ Retro-Style Checkered Utensil Crock Gives Major Designer Vibes for Less Than $30
- 1981 Classic Rock Hit That Took Mick Jagger, Keith Richards 10 Years to Write Named a Top Billboard No. 2 Song
- Hayden Panettiere Set ‘Boundaries’ With Brian Hickerson—But Still Hired Private Security to Be Safe (Report)