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🇦🇷 Argentina /Crime & Justice

“Not a single gesture of humanity”: 76 days in limbo for two Argentine sisters detained and deported by ICE

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Two Argentine sisters spent 76 days in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention before being deported to Argentina.
  • They allege that officers transported them in chains, subjected them to humiliating conditions and provided inadequate care.
  • The sisters broke down in tears aboard their flight home after a flight attendant offered Romina water and touched her arm, an act she described as her first gesture of humanity in a long time.

The first human touch Romina received in a long time came from a flight attendant. After 76 days in detention, the attendant lightly touched her arm, offered her water and asked whether she was all right. That small gesture overwhelmed her.

Romina and her sister Lucía had just boarded an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight taking them home. Until moments earlier, they had been transported to the aircraft in chains, with handcuffs and shackles. They were released only a few meters before reaching the runway, still wearing the same gray tracksuits they had worn while confined.

They had spent days without bathing and had been moved by air and land, always handcuffed, from an ICE detention center in Louisiana. They boarded last, escorted by an officer, while other passengers watched or sensed the conditions in which they were travelling. Once seated, the sisters collapsed into their seats, which suddenly felt exceptionally soft.

I can’t believe it, we’re here.

· RominaShe spoke to her sister after their flight from the United States took off for Argentina.

As the plane took off and the sound of the engines grew louder, their restraint gave way. They cried, embraced and covered their eyes. “I can’t believe it, we’re here,” Romina repeated. Lucía asked, “Are we really going to Argentina?”

The sisters, aged 34 and 24, are not their real names. They arrived in Argentina after being detained by ICE on June 14 during the World Cup. In the United States, they had registered, paid taxes, obtained a driver’s licence and found formal work, including Romina’s job as a hotel supervisor in Miami. They say the deportation process included mistreatment, humiliation and precarious detention conditions.

Are we really going to Argentina?

· LucíaShe reacted emotionally as the sisters began their journey home.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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