Pregnant Woman Remains in Detention Amid Alleged Immigration Scam

Maria Alejandra Gomez-Quiroz, a 21-year-old pregnant woman, has been detained at the Dilley immigration center in Texas for over 40 days, following what her family believes was a scam by an individual posing as an immigration attorney.

Her sister, Kelly Ocampo, initially received a letter claiming that Gomez-Quiroz's bond had been approved, leading the family to believe she would be released. They had paid more than $3,000 to the alleged lawyer, who has not responded to inquiries.

Gomez-Quiroz was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in June while fleeing violence in Colombia. She is one of four pregnant women among at least 500 detainees at the facility. Recent legal actions have raised concerns about the treatment of detainees, particularly pregnant women, and a federal judge has ordered monitoring of the detention center's compliance with medical care standards.