Her Charges Were Dropped. Her Baby Wasn’t Returned. A Tennessee Mother Remains Separated From Her U.S.-Born Child.
Weeks after prosecutors dismissed the criminal case against Esther Lopez-Sanchez, her newborn daughter—an American citizen—remains in state custody as the mother is held by immigration authorities hundreds of miles away.
A Tennessee woman whose criminal charges were formally dropped last month remains separated from her newborn baby, highlighting how immigration detention and child welfare systems can collide—with devastating consequences for immigrant families.
Esther Lopez-Sanchez, a Latina immigrant mother, is currently detained at a South Louisiana ICE processing center, while her infant daughter remains in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), according to local reporting by WZTV-TV. The baby is a U.S. citizen by birth, yet has not been returned to her mother weeks after prosecutors abandoned the case that initially led to Lopez-Sanchez’s arrest.
Advocates say the separation has taken a severe emotional toll.
“This has destroyed her,” said Zeinab Al-Mathkour, a migrant rights advocate assisting the family. “She had her baby for only two and a half days.”
Arrested While Pregnant, Separated After Giving Birth
Court records show Lopez-Sanchez was arrested on August 15, 2024, while pregnant, alongside her then-partner Roberto Nunez-Gomez, on drug and firearm charges in Rutherford County, Tennessee.
While in custody, Lopez-Sanchez went into labor. She was transported from jail to a nearby hospital, where she gave birth. Shortly after delivery, her newborn was taken into state care.
On November 12, 2025, prosecutors dropped all charges against Lopez-Sanchez. Nunez-Gomez, the child’s father, was later convicted. According to Al-Mathkour, the two are no longer in a relationship.
Despite the dismissal of charges and the absence of any remaining criminal case against her, Lopez-Sanchez was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and moved out of state—while her child remained behind.
A Month Later, No Reunification
Advocates say Lopez-Sanchez was told she would face no further legal action after the charges were dropped. Yet more than a month later, DCS has not returned her child, and federal immigration officials have not facilitated reunification.
Al-Mathkour said Lopez-Sanchez formally requested that her baby be placed temporarily with relatives—a common practice in child welfare cases—but the request was denied.
“They told her those won’t work because one of them is undocumented,” Al-Mathkour said. “The other lives with someone who is undocumented.”
Neither DCS nor the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has publicly explained why reunification has not occurred despite the dismissal of charges and the child’s U.S. citizenship.
A Familiar Pattern for Latino and Immigrant Families
Immigration and child welfare experts say cases like Lopez-Sanchez’s are not isolated. Latino and immigrant families—particularly mixed-status households—often face layered penalties when local law enforcement, child services, and federal immigration agencies act independently of one another.
Even when criminal cases collapse, immigration detention can prolong family separation, leaving U.S.-born children in state care while parents remain detained or deported.
Advocates argue the practice effectively punishes families twice—first through arrest, then through prolonged separation—even when the legal basis for detention no longer exists.
“She Is a Mother Asking for Her Child”
At the center of the case is a mother asking to be reunited with her newborn—a request advocates say should be straightforward once criminal charges are dropped.
“This isn’t a complicated situation,” Al-Mathkour said. “She is a mother asking for her child. Her baby is an American citizen. And yet the system keeps saying no.”
As Lopez-Sanchez remains detained hundreds of miles away, her case has become another flashpoint in the broader debate over how immigration enforcement intersects with family rights—particularly for Latino communities, where mixed-status families are common and the consequences of separation are deeply felt.
For now, her daughter remains in state custody. And a mother waits.
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