A Maryland mother of four was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers just days before her teenage son died of cancer, according to her family.
The family of Arlit Maria Martinez claims she was denied the chance to say goodbye to her 15-year-old son, Kevin, and be at his bedside when he died after she was detained by ICE agents on January 3.
Martinez, 41, was on her way to work in Salisbury when she was arrested and taken to a holding facility in Baltimore.
Her son, who was diagnosed with cancer four months ago, died two days later in the hospital after taking a turn for the worse following his mother’s arrest, according to a GoFundMe page created by Ervin Martinez, Kevin’s brother.
A woman under the name Arlit Maria Martinez-Carrada is currently being held at Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey, according to the agency’s online database of detainees.
“She has no criminal record, no prior deportation, and has always worked hard to support us,” Ervin Martinez wrote on the fundraising page for his mom and late brother. “My dad has been unable to work because he is the primary caregiver for my brother Kevin, who has been battling cancer.”
“After my mom was taken to a holding facility in Baltimore, my brother Kevin health took a turn for the worse,” the post continued. “Late that night, he had to be rushed to the ER, but he was too unstable to be transported to his regular doctors in Baltimore.”
Martinez’s husband, Rigo Mendoza-Lopez, stayed with his son in the hospital while also reeling from his wife’s arrest.
“Tragically, my brother Kevin lost his fight with cancer the next morning, and my mom was not allowed to be there to say goodbye,” the post continued. “Despite calls to ICE, visits from attorneys, and outreach from doctors, my mom has not been released to mourn her son.”
The Independent has contacted ICE for comment.
The family pleaded with federal officers to release Martinez and said they do not know why she has been detained.
“We tried to take her out, but they no let her come out to say bye for the last time to my son,” her husband told WBOC, and added: “I don’t know why. She’s not a criminal.”
So far, people have given more than $32,000 to the family on GoFundMe, where the proceeds will go toward funeral costs and medical expenses.
The case comes after an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Minnesota mother Renee Good, sparking nationwide anti-ICE demonstrations across the country over the weekend.
