Maria, a 29-year-old woman, fled Colombia in January 2024 after being kidnapped and tortured by the FARC rebel group and abused by her ex-husband, a police officer. In May 2025, a U.S. immigration judge found she would more likely than not be tortured if deported to Colombia and granted her protection under the Convention Against Torture. While held in Louisiana, she learned only the day before her transfer that she was being sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and said she objected up until boarding the plane. ICE took her identity documents and passport, leaving her unable to travel, and she was given seven days upon arrival to decide whether to accept a voluntary return to Colombia despite the risks she faces there.