Mother arrested by federal agents in domestic violence shelter parking lot on the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month
On the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, federal agents in New Mexico arrested a mother in the parking lot of a domestic violence shelter where she was living. She was waiting to exchange her daughter with her abusive ex-partner in a custody handoff. Her abuser had reported her to immigration authorities and, according to the shelter's executive director, was "out there in the community bragging about it." When shelter staff told the agents she was a domestic violence victim, one responded "Yeah, we know" before transferring her to a private, for-profit detention facility. Because the shelter is in a rural area, there was no formal supervised visitation center available, so the shelter parking lot served as the exchange point. She faces deportation and permanent separation from her daughter.
























