ICE detained breastfeeding Nashville mother with valid work permit, denied her release

On the morning of March 20, 2026, ICE agents detained Misslenys Hernandez Zabala in Nashville, Tennessee, minutes after she dropped her 10-month-old son, Maximiliano, off with a nanny on her way to work. Hernandez, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who came to the U.S. in 2021, had a valid Social Security number and work permit and a pending court date not scheduled until 2028. Video from bystanders showed ICE officers detaining her; her partner said he heard her scream over the phone that she had a son.

Advocates from Music City Migra Watch escorted the baby to Nashville's Department of Homeland Security office, seeking Hernandez's release on the grounds that she was breastfeeding. An advocate with the group said officers told them breastfeeding was "not an excuse" to release her, and she remained in custody. Hernandez also cares for a 12-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old niece.

The detention came amid a documented shift in ICE enforcement policy. Data obtained by 19th News and cited in the reporting shows ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum, or nursing women in just over 13 months, moving away from prior Department of Homeland Security limits on arresting or detaining that population. Human Rights Watch separately reported that a DHS response to Senate inquiries showed 86 pregnant detainees in ICE custody as of mid-February 2026, including nine in their final trimester.