ICE detains Ecuadorian mother during Maine grocery run, separates her from kindergartener
Jan 24, 2026·Location: Biddeford, ME
Country of origin: Ecuador

ICE agents detained Mayra Vaca Latacunga, 25, a single mother from Ecuador, after stopping her car while she was getting groceries in Biddeford, Maine on Friday, January 24, 2026. The detention left her five-year-old daughter Keyli Camila Espin Vaca without a caretaker. Vaca Latacunga, who entered the U.S. two years ago fleeing domestic violence and works in Maine's seafood industry, has no criminal record. She was transferred to Massachusetts and held for several days before being released on Tuesday with an ankle monitor and reunited with her daughter.
Timeline
Sources
- ‘I want my mom’: Kindergartner left without her mother for several days as ICE detains parents in Maine
Boston Globe·Jan 27, 2026·archived copy
Boston Globe·Jan 27, 2026·archived copy
Boston Globe·Jan 27, 2026·archived copy
- Maine mother reunites with her daughter after ICE arrest, but their future remains uncertain
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