Albany County Executive McCoy Celebrates the Successful Reunification of Mother & Child Separated by ICE

After eight months apart, Maria Duque-Muriel and her four-year-old daughter Mariangel have finally been reunited thanks to the dedicated efforts of Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy and the Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families. The reunion marks the end of a painful ordeal that began in March of this year, when Maria was accused of shoplifting at a Rotterdam grocery store. While in custody, the Rotterdam Police Department reported the incident to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who took her into custody. Her address was listed in Albany County so her daughter, Mariangel, was placed in foster care with the Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families. The mother applied for asylum but her application was declined, even though she was found to be a victim of physical and sexual violence. Maria declined to appeal her case and asked to be deported along with her child in line with ICE's own Detained Parents Directive policy. ICE denied the request, citing that Mariangel would need to be processed into an ICE youth shelter, which was not in the best interest of the child. The mother was transported out of state and was facing imminent deportation.

"When I first heard about this family's situation, I knew we couldn't stand by and do nothing. A mother and child should never be torn apart with indifference. What this family went through was heartbreaking, but it's also a reminder of why we serve, to help people find hope when the system seems stacked against them. Their reunion wasn't guaranteed; it took months of advocacy and coordination. But seeing them finally together again reminds us that compassion and persistence can overcome even the most rigid bureaucracy. We have to keep fighting for an immigration system that treats families with dignity and humanity, because behind every case file is a person, a story, and a bond that should never be broken," said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy.

Albany County tried to reunite the pair, working with both Representative Paul Tonko's office and Jim Milstein and Halinka Zolcik of Prisoners Legal Services of New York, but received no response from ICE. Maria was deported to Colombia on September 23rd, while Mariangel remained in foster care. It was only after County Executive McCoy did an interview with Spectrum News on October 1st that an ICE officer from the Juvenile and Family Management Division in Buffalo reached out to offer assistance in reuniting the family. On October 15th, after coordination with Consulate of Columbia, the county received the child's passport, allowing her to safely return home to her mom in Colombia. Accompanied on the flight by two DCYF caseworkers who have an established relationship with both the child and the mother, Mariangel landed in Colombia today and was finally able to hug her mother.

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Pics- Maria and her toy simba at airport before heading back to Colombia; 7440- picture of mom; 6363- Maria with CE McCoy at MVP Arena before she left for Colombia, surrounded by those who helped reunite her with her mother.