Editor’s note: Vanessa’s last name and her husband’s name have been withheld to protect their privacy and safety.

The morning of early March started out like any other for Vanessa and her family until her phone rang.

“Mom, they’re taking Dad,” her oldest daughter said in panic.

Vanessa, who was in the final days of her pregnancy, rushed home after dropping off her youngest child at school. When she arrived, she saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers outside her Bakersfield home. Her husband, whom she asked not to name for fear of retaliation, was already sitting inside a truck.

“I told them, ‘Why are you taking him?’” Vanessa said. “They told me they had a warrant and that he would be able to communicate with me and that he wasn’t going to get deported right away.”

That day marked the beginning of what Vanessa calls “a nightmare.”

Her husband was first taken to the GEO McFarland facility and later transferred to the California City ICE Detention Center, where advocates and detainees have reported inhumane conditions and medical neglect.

Vanessa gave birth to her baby by cesarean section just days after her husband’s arrest, without him by her side.

“I had to go through everything alone,” she said. “I’ve been struggling with bills, and even with CalWORKs, it’s not enough to cover everything.”

Vanessa, who has lived in Bakersfield for about eight years, said her husband worked in construction and painting before his detention. The couple has been married for nearly 19 years and has three children together.

After his transfer to California City, visiting became much harder. Vanessa said the drive through the desert is long and rough, with “bumps and holes everywhere,” and the facility itself left her shaken.

“When you finally get there, you see buildings in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “The air quality is bad, there are flies everywhere. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my husband was there.”

Vanessa said she recently made the trip with her father and children to see her husband for the first time since the transfer. The visit was difficult both emotionally and physically.

“The lobby was small, hot, and full of flies,” she said. “We had to wait two hours just to see him. When you go inside, there’s so much security. It feels like they’re treating them like dangerous criminals.”

She said the experience left her heartbroken.

“I don’t even know if I should feel bad for my husband or for me and my kids,” she said. “It’s really devastating.”

Vanessa said she worries about her husband’s safety every day, but remains determined to keep going for her children.

“I just hope people understand what families like ours are going through,” she said. “We’re not asking for anything special just for them to be treated like human beings.”

Vanessa said her husband and other detainees faced punishment when they spoke up about conditions inside the California City ICE facility. 

She described a situation in which a small group of detainees discussed mistreatment, including lack of medical care and poor-quality food. As a result, they were locked in a room for 24 hours with no food and no contact with their families.

Her husband, who has been in the facility for several weeks, became sick twice but was denied medication. Vanessa said he has lost a significant amount of weight since being transferred. 

“They just passed the responsibility from one staff member to another,” Vanessa said, calling the system disorganized and unresponsive.

Vanessa also described harsh conditions in the facility, including extreme temperatures, poor air quality, and unsafe outdoor areas. 

“Even minor complaints can result in temporary isolation,” she said.

For Vanessa, the lack of information is one of the hardest parts. 

“When he doesn’t call, I start to panic,” she said. “I’ll call the facility and they tell me, ‘We can’t give out information.’ One time, they lied and said there was a bad signal and a leak in the building. Later, my husband told me they had actually been punished.”

She says phone calls are her only lifeline to him. 

“He calls every day when he can, but sometimes the call disconnects after just a minute,” she said. “Before, when he was in McFarland, I could video call him in emergencies. Now, I can’t contact him at all unless he calls first.”

Vanessa and her husband have been married for nearly 19 years. They met as teenagers at church in the San Fernando Valley. 

“We were just kids,” she said. “We started talking on the phone, then dating, and less than seven months later, we got married.”

Her husband, a painter and construction worker, has lived in California for more than two decades.

 “Half his life has been here,” she said. “He’s always worked hard and taken care of us.”

She describes him as a loving, devoted father. 

“He’s never been in trouble. He’s not a bad person. He works, he comes home, he plays with the kids. Every Sunday we went to church together. We’d play Nintendo as a family, go to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios. He always made time for the kids.”

When immigration officers detained him, their daughters, now 16 and 10, watched it happen. 

“My oldest saw everything. She was crying so much,” Vanessa said. “She acts strong, but I know she’s traumatized. My younger daughter has ADHD and an intellectual disability. She asks about him all the time.”

Vanessa’s husband is awaiting his next immigration court hearing in a few weeks, now under a new judge. 

“I’m scared,” she said. “He told me that if he doesn’t have any chance to stay, he’s going to ask to be sent back to Guatemala. But what’s going to happen to us?”

The family’s financial struggles have grown since his detention. Vanessa is on maternity leave, recovering from surgery, and caring for their newborn son. 

“I applied for CalWORKs, but it’s not enough to cover everything,” she said. “My rent is $840, and I’m behind on my PG&E bill.”

She’s been applying for jobs at schools, retail stores, and fast food restaurants, but hasn’t been hired. 

Vanessa is also worried about how the government shutdown may impact their lives. 

“I won’t get food stamps,” she said. “WIC is only giving me formula now, not milk or vegetables.”

To stay afloat, Vanessa sold her husband’s old Toyota Tacoma and some of his work tools. 

“I send him a little money for commissary, but it’s hard. I have to choose between paying bills or helping him eat.”

Stress has taken a toll on her health. 

“I’ve been breaking out in hives,” she said. “The doctor told me I have anxiety and need therapy. It’s all the stress of being alone, worrying about him, worrying about my kids.”

Despite everything, Vanessa says she tries to stay hopeful. She sends her husband letters, photos of the baby, and drawings from the children. 

“My daughter made him a letter, she said she misses him and wants him home,” Vanessa said. “That’s all we can do.”

She says her faith keeps her going.

“I leave it in God’s hands,” she said. “It is what it is. But I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t go with him to Guatemala because my kids have their future here. I have my future here.”

Vanessa said that she wants people to understand that families should not have to deal with this.

“Families shouldn’t have to live like this,” she said. “It’s not fair. My husband didn’t do anything bad. He doesn’t deserve to be in a place like that. No one does.”

Editor’s note: Vanessa’s last name and her husband’s name have been withheld to protect their privacy and safety.

The morning of March 5 started out like any other for Vanessa and her family until her phone rang.

“Mom, they’re taking Dad,” her oldest daughter said in panic.

Vanessa, who was in the final days of her pregnancy, rushed home after dropping off her youngest child at school. When she arrived, she saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers outside her Bakersfield home. Her husband, whom she asked not to name for fear of retaliation, was already sitting inside a truck.

“I told them, ‘Why are you taking him?’” Vanessa said. “They told me they had a warrant and that he would be able to communicate with me and that he wasn’t going to get deported right away.”

That day marked the beginning of what Vanessa calls “a nightmare.”

Her husband was first taken to the GEO McFarland facility and later transferred to the California City ICE Detention Center, where advocates and detainees have reported inhumane conditions and medical neglect.

Vanessa gave birth to her baby by cesarean section just days after her husband’s arrest, without him by her side.

“I had to go through everything alone,” she said. “I’ve been struggling with bills, and even with CalWORKs, it’s not enough to cover everything.”

Vanessa, who has lived in Bakersfield for about eight years, said her husband worked in construction and painting before his detention. The couple has been married for nearly 19 years and has three children together.

After his transfer to California City, visiting became much harder. Vanessa said the drive through the desert is long and rough, with “bumps and holes everywhere,” and the facility itself left her shaken.

“When you finally get there, you see buildings in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “The air quality is bad, there are flies everywhere. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my husband was there.”

Vanessa said she recently made the trip with her father and children to see her husband for the first time since the transfer. The visit was difficult both emotionally and physically.

“The lobby was small, hot, and full of flies,” she said. “We had to wait two hours just to see him. When you go inside, there’s so much security. It feels like they’re treating them like dangerous criminals.”

She said the experience left her heartbroken.

“I don’t even know if I should feel bad for my husband or for me and my kids,” she said. “It’s really devastating.”

Vanessa said she worries about her husband’s safety every day, but remains determined to keep going for her children.

“I just hope people understand what families like ours are going through,” she said. “We’re not asking for anything special just for them to be treated like human beings.”

Vanessa said her husband and other detainees faced punishment when they spoke up about conditions inside the California City ICE facility. 

She described a situation in which a small group of detainees discussed mistreatment, including lack of medical care and poor-quality food. As a result, they were locked in a room for 24 hours with no food and no contact with their families.

Her husband, who has been in the facility for several weeks, became sick twice but was denied medication. Vanessa said he has lost a significant amount of weight since being transferred. 

“They just passed the responsibility from one staff member to another,” Vanessa said, calling the system disorganized and unresponsive.

Vanessa also described harsh conditions in the facility, including extreme temperatures, poor air quality, and unsafe outdoor areas. 

“Even minor complaints can result in temporary isolation,” she said.

For Vanessa, the lack of information is one of the hardest parts. 

“When he doesn’t call, I start to panic,” she said. “I’ll call the facility and they tell me, ‘We can’t give out information.’ One time, they lied and said there was a bad signal and a leak in the building. Later, my husband told me they had actually been punished.”

She says phone calls are her only lifeline to him. 

“He calls every day when he can, but sometimes the call disconnects after just a minute,” she said. “Before, when he was in McFarland, I could video call him in emergencies. Now, I can’t contact him at all unless he calls first.”

Vanessa and her husband have been married for nearly 19 years. They met as teenagers at church in the San Fernando Valley. 

“We were just kids,” she said. “We started talking on the phone, then dating, and less than seven months later, we got married.”

Her husband, a painter and construction worker, has lived in California for more than two decades.

 “Half his life has been here,” she said. “He’s always worked hard and taken care of us.”

She describes him as a loving, devoted father. 

“He’s never been in trouble. He’s not a bad person. He works, he comes home, he plays with the kids. Every Sunday we went to church together. We’d play Nintendo as a family, go to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios. He always made time for the kids.”

When immigration officers detained him, their daughters, now 16 and 10, watched it happen. 

“My oldest saw everything. She was crying so much,” Vanessa said. “She acts strong, but I know she’s traumatized. My younger daughter has ADHD and an intellectual disability. She asks about him all the time.”

Vanessa’s husband is awaiting his next immigration court hearing in a few weeks, now under a new judge. 

“I’m scared,” she said. “He told me that if he doesn’t have any chance to stay, he’s going to ask to be sent back to Guatemala. But what’s going to happen to us?”

The family’s financial struggles have grown since his detention. Vanessa is on maternity leave, recovering from surgery, and caring for their newborn son. 

“I applied for CalWORKs, but it’s not enough to cover everything,” she said. “My rent is $840, and I’m behind on my PG&E bill.”

She’s been applying for jobs at schools, retail stores, and fast food restaurants, but hasn’t been hired. 

Vanessa is also worried about how the government shutdown may impact their lives. 

“I won’t get food stamps,” she said. “WIC is only giving me formula now, not milk or vegetables.”

To stay afloat, Vanessa sold her husband’s old Toyota Tacoma and some of his work tools. 

“I send him a little money for commissary, but it’s hard. I have to choose between paying bills or helping him eat.”

Stress has taken a toll on her health. 

“I’ve been breaking out in hives,” she said. “The doctor told me I have anxiety and need therapy. It’s all the stress of being alone, worrying about him, worrying about my kids.”

Despite everything, Vanessa says she tries to stay hopeful. She sends her husband letters, photos of the baby, and drawings from the children. 

“My daughter made him a letter, she said she misses him and wants him home,” Vanessa said. “That’s all we can do.”

She says her faith keeps her going.

“I leave it in God’s hands,” she said. “It is what it is. But I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t go with him to Guatemala because my kids have their future here. I have my future here.”

Vanessa said that she wants people to understand that families should not have to deal with this.

“Families shouldn’t have to live like this,” she said. “It’s not fair. My husband didn’t do anything bad. He doesn’t deserve to be in a place like that. No one does.”