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Ernestina P.: Argentine personal trainer held by ICE in Texas facility with rats

Ernestina Pavlovsky, 33, an Argentine personal trainer who lived in Aspen for 13 years, was held a month at a Texas facility she said had rats and mold before a judge approved her voluntary departure.

Sep 9, 2026TXCountry of origin: Argentina

Ernestina P.: Argentine personal trainer held by ICE in Texas facility with rats
Photo via Instagram

Ernestina Pavlovsky, a 33-year-old Argentine personal trainer who lived in Aspen, Colorado for 13 years, was detained by plainclothes ICE agents at Miami International Airport on August 1 while returning from visiting family. She was held for several days in Miramar/Pompano Beach, Florida, where her partner said constant lighting felt like 'a torture chamber,' before being shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles and driven overnight to the CoreCivic-run Laredo Processing Center in Texas. She has no criminal record, had entered the U.S. on a tourist visa, and had a stalled application to regularize her status after a divorce from a U.S. citizen. She and her family described conditions at the Laredo facility including rats, cockroaches, ants, mold, contaminated water, restricted bottled-water access, and sleep deprivation from overnight guard patrols. A judge initially denied her bond over flight-risk concerns, but at a September 1 hearing granted her request for voluntary departure. She remains in ICE custody in Texas awaiting a flight back to Argentina, and supporters have raised roughly $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign for her legal costs.

“Mamá, estoy en un estado de vulnerabilidad total. Ellos pueden hacer conmigo lo que quieran, cuando quieran, como quieran.”
— Ernestina Pavlovsky
“El agua es de cloaca y está contaminada. Tiene restricciones sobre la cantidad de agua embotellada que puede comprar, que es solo los sábados. Hay chicas que que se infectaron con bacterias. Ella tiene miedo hasta para lavarse los dientes. Las pocas veces que se bañó le salieron ronchas en la piel.”
— su hermana, Manuela Álvarez Urquiza

Timeline

Sep 9, 2026—Remains in ICE custody in Texas awaiting deportation flight, describing ongoing inhumane conditions.
Sep 1, 2026—At hearing, requested and was granted voluntary departure.
Aug 28, 2026—Reports emerge of inhumane conditions including rats, roaches, mold, and contaminated water; over a month in detention.
Aug 15, 2026—Judge denied bond request, citing flight risk.
Aug 6, 2026—Shackled and transported overnight by bus to CoreCivic Processing Center in Laredo, Texas.
Aug 5, 2026—Held for several days in Miramar/Pompano Beach, Florida detention facility before transfer.
Aug 1, 2026—Detained by plainclothes ICE agents at Miami International Airport while returning from a family visit.
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