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Argentine woman held by ICE in Texas for a month despite voluntary departure order

Sep 9, 2026·Location: TX

Country of origin: Argentina

Argentine woman held by ICE in Texas for a month despite voluntary departure order

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.

Timeline

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