What Happened
On Jan. 3, 2026, ICE agents detained Arlit Martinez-Carrada, 41, while she drove to work in Salisbury, Maryland. Her 15-year-old son Kevin, a U.S. citizen, was in the final stage of a cancer battle at the time. Two days later, on Jan. 5, Kevin died — his mother still in custody, unable to say goodbye.
A judge initially denied her bond despite letters from Kevin’s oncologist. On Jan. 26, a federal judge approved her release on $12,000 bond, and she made it home to Salisbury in time for Kevin’s funeral on Jan. 31.
DHS says Martinez-Carrada entered the country illegally four times; her attorneys dispute that account. Her three surviving children, ages 16, 12, and 9, are all U.S. citizens.
