Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
After originally crossing the border, she said she encountered immigration agents and was given an immigration court date. She went first to New York, then to Maine, where she said she's pieced together a living through dishwashing and cleaning jobs. She couldn't afford a lawyer, and ended up missing her immigration court date because she had moved.
Latacunga said she didn't learn until after she was arrested last month that the government had issued a deportation order for her.
Her ability to remain in the U.S. is still in question. She said she has an appointment at the ICE office in Scarborough next week, and isn't sure what to expect.
If she is sent back to Ecuador, Latacunga said what matters most is not being separated from Camila.
An ICE spokesperson said via email: "On January 23, ICE arrested Mayra Elizabeth Vaca Latacunga, an illegal alien from Ecuador. She was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2025. She illegally entered the U.S. and was RELEASED in 2024 by the Biden Administration. She is required to check in with ICE at regular intervals while she makes arrangements to leave the country."
Read the full story at mainepublic.org.
Story: Ari Snider
Video: Esta Pratt-Kielley
Translation support: Zydalis Bauer
After originally crossing the border, she said she encountered immigration agents and was given an immigration court date. She went first to New York, then to Maine, where she said she's pieced together a living through dishwashing and cleaning jobs. She couldn't afford a lawyer, and ended up missing her immigration court date because she had moved.
Latacunga said she didn't learn until after she was arrested last month that the government had issued a deportation order for her.
Her ability to remain in the U.S. is still in question. She said she has an appointment at the ICE office in Scarborough next week, and isn't sure what to expect.
If she is sent back to Ecuador, Latacunga said what matters most is not being separated from Camila.
An ICE spokesperson said via email: "On January 23, ICE arrested Mayra Elizabeth Vaca Latacunga, an illegal alien from Ecuador. She was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2025. She illegally entered the U.S. and was RELEASED in 2024 by the Biden Administration. She is required to check in with ICE at regular intervals while she makes arrangements to leave the country."
Read the full story at mainepublic.org.
Story: Ari Snider
Video: Esta Pratt-Kielley
Translation support: Zydalis Bauer
