“I got down on my knees and I gave them the strongest hug that [they] probably got from me in a long time,” shared Ramiro* about finally reuniting with his children after six long months in immigration detention. “[My son] didn’t want to let go, and he kept repeating, ‘I miss you, Daddy. I miss you, Daddy.’”
Ramiro has lived in the United States nearly his entire life. Brought here from Mexico as a young boy, he was eligible to apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) when the program launched in 2012 and has maintained his DACA status ever since. Like many Dreamers, he pursued higher education, built a professional career, and created a life with his family in the U.S.
In 2017 and 2020, Ramiro and his wife welcomed two sons into the world. His children, one living with type 1 diabetes, are the center of his world and were his motivation during the trying times he would later face in immigration detention.
In 2023, life started to change for Ramiro and his family when he began enduring emotional and physical abuse from his wife. Eventually, the two separated. They shared custody of the children but with the boys’ mother often absent during her custody time, the children were left in the care of their maternal grandparents. Unfortunately, the grandparents were unable to manage the critical medical care that Ramiro’s son required.
Then, in February 2025, Ramiro was apprehended by ICE after a misunderstanding with local law enforcement and taken to immigration detention in Florence, Arizona.
“I cried thinking that I wasn’t [going to] see my kids anymore. I cried thinking that I was going to go back to a country that I didn’t know. Starting from zero and not knowing how it was going to be for me,” Ramiro recalled. “Because being in [detention], I lost my apartment, I lost my car. Furniture, everything.”
His girlfriend, Mia*, immediately stepped in, advocating passionately for his release. She helped Ramiro connect with the Florence Project after coincidentally meeting Florence Project attorney Philip Rody outside the detention center one day.
In March, Ramiro attended a legal orientation and had his first intake with the Florence Project legal team. Desperate to be reunited with his children, Ramiro made the decision to decline pro bono representation and proceed pro se, representing himself in his removal proceedings, to avoid prolonging his time in detention while the pro bono attorney prepared his case.
Our Pro Se and Pro Bono Teams continued working with Ramiro to help him understand the law and ensure he had everything he needed to face the judge with confidence. Our team remained ready to provide additional pro se support or pro bono representation should he need it.
“The only reason that I took that decision to represent myself was because I had guidance from the Florence Project, and my girlfriend, [who] was there from day one,” Ramiro shared. “The confidence that I [had], because of all the help that I had between the Florence Project and my girlfriend, I had nothing to be worried about.”
Our legal team helped Ramiro prepare for court and gather and organize evidence, secured pro bono expert medical testimony about his son’s health, and worked closely with Mia. She gathered crucial documents, even driving across state lines to get original copies.
For Ramiro, his sons and Mia were his lifeline. Mia attended nearly every hearing and never stopped advocating for his release.
“I remember several visits in [detention] where he just kind of broke down and even when he didn’t you could see it in his eyes that he really missed his kids. He definitely did this for his family,” shares Philip Rody, a Managing Attorney on the Pro Se Team who worked closely with Ramiro.
After six harrowing months in detention, during which Ramiro witnessed violence, racism, and dehumanizing conditions, he achieved a historic victory. The immigration judge granted him relief under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA),
a law that protects victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. This moment was made even more significant because the judge told Ramiro that it was the first VAWA grant that he had ever issued in nearly two decades on the bench.
“When the judge granted me my residency, I was in shock,” Ramiro recalled. “I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t say anything but be grateful for what [the Florence Project has] done.”
Philip also reflected on seeing Ramiro after his win: “It’s incredibly rewarding to see former clients outside of detention. Given how dehumanizing the detention centers can be, watching him walk into the office in his own clothes, with his kids and family by his side, was such a powerful moment. It was like, ‘Yes—this is exactly what we were all hoping for!’”
Now home with his children, Ramiro is enjoying dropping his sons off and picking them up from school and taking them to the park every day. He is focused on learning more about his son’s diabetes and providing the best care possible.
This was not just a legal win. It was the opportunity to reunite a family. Ramiro’s story is proof that courage, solidarity, and justice can prevail.
Congratulations, Ramiro. We are honored to stand with you.
*Pseudonym