A Disney Dream Deferred: Nine-Year-Old’s Detention Story Highlights Family Separation Concerns
What began as a highly anticipated family vacation to Disney World ended in a four-month detention for a nine-year-old Colombian girl and her mother, a case that underscores the challenges faced by immigrant families navigating U.S. Immigration policies. Maria Antonia Guerra Montoya and her mother, Maria Alejandra Montoya, found themselves held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas after arriving in the United States in October 2025.
The story, recently detailed by ProPublica, began with a planned ten-day trip to Disney World in August 2025. Maria Antonia, who frequently traveled to the U.S. To visit her mother, who has resided in the country since 2018, described the vacation as “fun” and immediately began planning a return trip for the park’s Halloween celebration. She envisioned a “101 Dalmatians” costume, excitedly planning to dress as Cruella de Vil while her mother and stepfather would be the spotted dogs.
However, upon arriving at Miami International Airport on October 2, their plans took a devastating turn. Instead of being greeted by a flight attendant and escorted to her mother, Maria Antonia and her mother were intercepted by immigration officers and subjected to hours of questioning in separate rooms. Maria Antonia recalled being overwhelmed, repeatedly stating her name, birthday, her mother’s name, and their origin in Colombia, unsure of what information the officers sought.
After hours of interrogation, they were held in a cold room, their phones confiscated, and unable to contact Maria Antonia’s stepfather who was waiting for them at the airport. They were left without explanation as to why they were being detained, despite Maria Alejandra’s pending green card application and Maria Antonia’s valid tourist visa.
Maria Antonia, who learned English at her private school in Medellin, overheard an immigration officer suggest that if she had been ten years old, they could have separated her from her mother. This realization sparked a deep fear within the young girl.
The next 42 hours were spent in airport holding rooms before they were transported by plane and minivan to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, located south of San Antonio. By the time ProPublica reporter Mica Rosenberg met them in mid-January, they had been detained for nearly four months. More than 3,500 people, half of them minors, had cycled through the facility since the Trump administration reopened it early last year.
Maria Antonia described the conditions at Dilley, explaining she had fainted twice, and that her vegetarian diet was not consistently accommodated, with beans being a primary food source. She expressed her longing for school and her friends, echoing concerns voiced by other children held at the facility. She did make some new friends, but noted the transient nature of the detention center meant those connections were often short-lived.
Maria Alejandra shared her concerns with Rosenberg in emails, detailing the deteriorating mental and physical health of both herself and her daughter during their prolonged detention. She described Maria Antonia experiencing nightmares and fearing she would never be released or would be separated from her mother.
The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) responded to inquiries about the case, stating that Maria Alejandra had overstayed her tourist visa and had a prior arrest for theft, a charge that was later dismissed. DHS stated that Maria Antonia had been seen by medical professionals twice and received weekly check-ins with mental health professionals, during which she reportedly appeared “calm and well-nourished.” DHS also asserted that all detainees receive three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, and access to hygiene products, and that certified dieticians evaluate meals. They also stated that children have access to educational materials.
After months of legal proceedings, an immigration judge granted Maria Alejandra and Maria Antonia “voluntary departure” on January 6, allowing them to return to Colombia at their own expense, avoid a formal deportation order, and continue pursuing Maria Alejandra’s green card application from abroad. However, it wasn’t until February 6 that they were finally able to return home.
Upon their return, Maria Antonia’s mother shared that the first thing her daughter wanted to do was discard the government-issued sweatsuit she had worn throughout her detention. A video sent to Rosenberg showed Maria Antonia running to embrace her teachers at school, joyfully reuniting with her best friend and classmates, finally home after a harrowing ordeal.
